SC Works Upstate gets grant for Operation Educate.

SC Works Upstate, overseen by the Upstate Workforce Board, will expand its Operation Educate program through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Opportunities in Rural Communities program.

The Operation Educate program offers manufacturing and construction job training through virtual reality simulation inside the Spartanburg County Detention Center. In addition, the program will partner with employers to ensure that detainees have jobs waiting for them upon release. As a result, 89% of Operation Educate participants will receive employment immediately when they get out, according to a news release. The grant will allow the program to train more detainees in Spartanburg and expand the program to the Cherokee County Detention Center.

SC Works Upstate is part of a $2.1 million grant that also included...