ReadySC instructor Eric Dorsey demonstrates the use of a pneumatic tester in the new training area at the Cornerstone Economic Development and Workforce Training Center at Midlands Technical College. The center is being used to screen applicants for Scout Motors.
tglantz@thestate.com
A new $5 million training hub associated with Midlands Tech Northeast has opened, where future employees of new area manufacturers will practice skills state and local leaders say will help net them higher paying jobs. South Carolina dignitaries, including Gov. Henry McMaster, gathered Thursday to tour the new training hub.
The first company to use the facility to train prospective employees is Scout Motors, which will train candidates to assemble different parts of the electric vehicles they will build at the new Columbia-area plant.
And so far, the company has a lot of interest.
“At this point we have over 14,000 people that have reached out to us through email to say ‘I’m interested in working at Scout Motors,’” said Tim Hardee, president of South Carolina’s Technical College system.
Scout expects to hire up to 4,000 people for the Columbia-area plant over the course of the next several years.
How will they narrow the field?
“We want to make sure that we find the right 4,000 people for Scout,” Hardee said at the Thursday event held to show off the new facility to dignitaries and press.
Finding those 4,000 employees will come down to how candidates perform in a “pre-hire” training program, where people will have hands-on practice doing different aspects of the vehicle assembly process.
The new training center has various stations where would-be Scout employees can practice simulations of different tasks they would perform at the new production plant.
“We’re off to a good start with that … starting that process of getting people in and getting them through this pre-hire training,” Hardee said.
The painting facility at the Scout Motors manufacturing plant in Blythewood, South Carolina is under construction on Thursday, April 10, 2025. Joshua Boucher jboucher@thestate.com
Scout also won’t be hiring 4,000 people all at once. By the end of this year, they expect to have 36 maintenance technicians hired. Those people will have more experience than the entry-level people who will put the vehicles together, and will earn between $30 and $37.50 per hour, depending on their experience levels.
Starting in January, the company will begin training prospective employees for the vehicle assembly work, positions they are calling “productions associates.” Those people won’t necessarily need to have any prior experience, but will go through the training program to assess their skills. How well candidates perform with the simulations will be paired with their interviews to determine who gets the work, said Clarice Henderson, Scout’s vice president of human resources for production.
“It’s important to note that hiring criteria will vary depending on the role. Different positions require different skill sets, levels of experience, and areas of expertise. Many roles may not require any manufacturing or automotive experience at all,” Henderson said in a statement shared with The State.
What does training look like?
The new workforce center has several different simulators that will allow job candidates to practice different aspects of assembling the vehicles, from dexterity tests to practice controlling robotic arms that do everything from lifting heavy car components, to nimbly working with the car batteries.
Midlands Tech instructors Thursday gave demonstrations for what those simulators look like in practice.
One instructor showed off a large remote control that dictates the movements of robotic arms that do a variety of jobs at the production plant. Another instructor demonstrated how candidates will practice mounting wheels on the vehicles.
What are Scout’s long-term plans?
Scout is touting a $2 billion investment in the Midlands, promising its new production plant will make 200,000 vehicles a year once it is fully operational – the company says production should begin by 2027.
The company promises that in addition to the 4,000 positions it will hire for the production facility, it also expects 1,000 more jobs to be available at supplier companies, like battery manufacturers, that will set up beside the Scout Plant.
State and local leaders say the jobs at Scout will result in higher wages for Midlands residents who make the cut to work at the facility.
“The jobs you can train for here pay higher,” said Gov. McMaster at the event Thursday. Work at the Blythewood Scout plant has also been cited for environmental damage. The State previously reported that taxpayers will spend $60 million to make up for the damage at the site, and that Richland County has been fined up to $3 million for its role in the environmental problems.
The painting facility at the Scout Motors manufacturing plant in Blythewood, South Carolina is under construction on Thursday, April 10, 2025. Joshua Boucher jboucher@thestate.com
How to apply?
Scout is currently hiring for maintenance technicians at the Blythewood facility. Those interested in applying for that work can fill out an application on Scout’s website at www.scoutmotors.sctechjobs.com.
This story was originally published November 7, 2025 at 5:45 AM.
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Morgan Hughes covers Columbia news for The State. She previously reported on health, education and local governments in Wyoming. She has won awards in Wyoming and Wisconsin for feature writing and investigative journalism. Her work has also been recognized by the South Carolina Press Association.
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