Education & Training
SCAC strives to develop skillful and informed county leaders through advocacy, education, and collaboration. The Association offers a strong portfolio of educational programs with opportunities for orientation, certification, e-learning, and collaboration.
Institute of Government for County Officials
SCAC’s Institute of Government for County Officials (Institute of Government) provides the knowledge and skills that policymakers and executive staff need to address critical issues, meet the daily needs of their communities, and monitor the county’s performance.
Learn More About the Institute
E-Learning
Leadership Development
Planning and Zoning Officials Training
All of the Association’s planning and zoning training programs are approved by the S.C. Planning Education Advisory Committee. The Association provides orientation training and continuing education that addresses current issues and changes in state law. One course fulfills the annual planning/zoning continuing education requirement. Local planning/zoning officials and employees may also earn continuing education credit for four courses offered by the Institute of Government.
Learn More About Planning and Zoning Training Programs
Outside Learning Resources
Civic Education Resources
NACo and iCivic Grades 6-12 Education Resources
NACo, together with iCivics, has created a full curriculum to educate students, grades 6 through 12, about the important role and functions of county government. The curriculum — along with the online game, "Counties Work" — assists teachers with preparing lessons on county government.
NACo Report on Roles and Responsibilities of Counties
Counties are one of America’s oldest forms of government, governed by locally elected officials, including more than 19,000 county elected executives and board members and another 18,000 independently elected constitutional officers. Counties translate policy into action at the local level and are an integral part of the federal-state-local relationship.
NACo's report provides an overview of the county landscape and illustrates the essential role counties play in fostering safe, vibrant and healthy communities across the nation.
ICMA K-12 Civic Education Resources
The resources listed on the ICMA site will help elementary, middle and high school teachers of local government build a curriculum with lesson plans and activities for each of the elementary, middle and high school grade levels.
GRACE: Grant Readiness and Capacity Empowerment Training
The South Carolina Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center at USC offers a free monthly webinar series, Grant Readiness and Capacity Empowerment (GRACE), focusing on beginner-level training on the grant lifecycle. The schedule for upcoming webinars can be found on the department's website.
Stormwater Training
American Stormwater Institute, LLC is offering stormwater training. The full class schedule is available on the ASI website.
The National Stormwater Center offers certified stormwater inspector training classes. Information on classes and how to register is available on the National Stormwater Center website.