Latest news with #Sharpe
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New tech school investments to address increased enrollment, AI skills in manufacturing
Welders work to construct the Scout Motors paint shop in Blythewood April 10, 2025. Welding is among high-demand study programs at Midlands Technical College in Columbia without enough space to handle all who wish to enroll. (File photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA — For students hoping to study building and construction, Midlands Technical College has only 11 seats remaining in the program for the coming fall semester. The welding program is already at capacity. And a second enrollment surge in August is still expected, meaning additional incoming students will likely be waitlisted. The Columbia-based technical college hopes to fix its capacity problems with a building expansion planned over the next several years. More space for Midlands Tech students training for a job in the building trades and a Greenville Tech center that merges manufacturing and technology skills are among the largest projects for South Carolina's technical colleges in the 2025-26 state budget. Legislators spent $16 million on each. In all, the spending package sent to Gov. Henry McMaster last week provides South Carolina's technical colleges with more than $150 million in one-time aid for building projects, maintenance and renovations. (See information box below.) Training in automotive, industrial electricity, heating and cooling, as well as welding and construction have all seen a surge in demand the last five years, said Robbie Sharpe, who heads Midlands Tech's building construction program. 'Students are having to wait a semester or two just to get into these programs, because we just don't have any more space,' Sharpe said. 'Our programs are busting at the seams.' SC tech schools seek $5M to expand dual enrollment for high schoolers in poor, rural districts For more than a decade, industry and educators have struggled with how to address a shortage of new workers in the trades as existing employees reach retirement age. Now it seems that recruitment effort is paying off, as long as technical schools in the Palmetto State can find the space to train them. 'The market is there. The jobs are there. The placement is there for our students,' Sharpe said. 'They're making really good wages coming out of these programs with virtually zero debt. It's just, we're just at the end of our rope.' In the meantime, Midlands has raised enrollment caps and added night classes. For example, Sharpe twice doubled the number of seats available in the construction program for the school year that just ended — going from 20 seats to 40 seats for first-year students in the fall and then going from 40 seats to 80 seats in the spring. He filled all but five of them. They've also asked students to start with math and English courses that fulfill general education requirements as they wait for seats to open up in their trade-specific classes. 'We're out of all of our creative options, and this isn't something that's going to go away anytime soon,' Sharpe said. For years, Sharpe said, parents and educators were pushing high school seniors to pursue a four-year degree while trade education fell to the wayside. 'I've seen the mentality of students change over the last decade, but I've never seen this much momentum behind it,' Sharpe said. 'People now realize that these are not second-rate jobs. They're honorable careers.' While the cost of a bachelor's degree has soared, scholarship programs for technical colleges, such as the $5,000-per-year S.C. Workforce Industry Needs (WINS) Scholarship that comes on top of other financial aid, are covering students' full tuition. When they graduate two years later, those same students are walking into jobs that pay upwards of $50,000 a year starting out. SC colleges have frozen tuition for several years. University presidents say that's not sustainable. Legislators approved $91.4 million for WINS Scholarships in the coming school year: $57.2 million from lottery profits and $34.2 million from the general fund. 'Now we have to kick it in high gear to get caught up (to demand),' Sharpe said. The $16 million legislators included in the state budget that takes effect July 1 for Midlands Tech is expected to fully cover the cost of expanding an existing building to add more classrooms and workshop space on its campus near the airport in West Columbia. But it will take the college several more years to design the space and complete construction. While all of the state's technical colleges have trades programs, those at Midlands Tech and Greenville Technical College are among the largest in the state. At the Upstate tech school that feeds major employers, such as BMW, Michelin and Lockheed Martin, efforts are focused on building a new $41 million Center for Industrial Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence. The state budget would cover $16 million of that cost. The purpose, according to Greenville Tech's spokeswoman Becky Mann, is to give the technicians who keep manufacturing lines up and running some expertise in cybersecurity and data science as artificial intelligence and other technologies become more ingrained in operations on the factory floor. 'Greenville Technical College will merge these two, high-demand skill sets in the Center for Industrial Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence, so that cybersecurity skills and artificial intelligence analytics protect plants against cyberattacks while anticipating and addressing maintenance needs and problems before they have a chance to occur,' according to a statement from the school. The school cited IBM's Threat Intelligence Index, which has ranked manufacturing as the most targeted industry for four years in a row. The sector accounted for 26% of all cyberattacks worldwide in 2024, exceeding finance, insurance, and energy. Among other major projects at South Carolina's tech schools is a $15 million 'Technical High School Workforce Center' at Central Carolina Technical College. The money is meant to fund a partnership for a future technical high school in Sumter to give those student access to college programs offered by Central Carolina's Industrial Department, according to budget documents provided to the SC Daily Gazette. 'CCTC supports initiatives that expand access to technical education and strengthen our state's workforce,' college spokeswoman Nicole Miles wrote in an email. No other details were available. There are 16 technical colleges statewide. Here's a breakdown of how the budget doles out $150 million to 14 of them for projects, maintenance and renovations. Two schools receive nothing in one-time aid in the budget that starts July 1: Denmark Technical College and Northeastern Technical College. • Aiken Technical College: $6.7 million • Central Carolina Technical College: $23.5 million • Florence-Darlington Technical College: $4 million • Greenville Technical College: $24 million • Horry-Georgetown Technical College: $8 million • Midlands Technical College: $28.5 million • Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College: $7.9 million • Piedmont Technical College: $7 million • Spartanburg Community College: $9.2 million • Technical College of the Lowcountry: $1 million • Tri-County Technical College: $9 million • Williamsburg Technical College: $1 million • York Technical College: $4 million Source: Legislature's 2025-26 state budget summary control document
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Shannon Sharpe says the Lakers need to trade one of their stars
Shannon Sharpe says the Lakers need to trade one of their stars The Los Angeles Lakers need to improve their roster this offseason, but people seem to be split on whether incremental improvements will be enough or if they need to make a bold move or two in order to become legitimate championship contenders. If they do make a big, bold move, the man who would be involved is Austin Reaves. While he is a very good player and once again elevated his production and overall game this season, he remains an anemic defender and is relatively unathletic. There seems to be a sizable contingent of Lakers fans who are calling for Reaves to be traded, not because such fans have anything against Reaves, but because they feel he is the team's only real trade chip on the open market. Shannon Sharpe, one of the biggest LeBron James fans around, said on his "Nightcap" podcast that the guard is on his way out of L.A. "The Lakers can only pay you so much," Sharpe said. "You're gonna go somewhere and get a big payday anyway. You ain't trying to stay with the Lakers when you get a $200 million deal, and they can't give you that." It may seem as though Sharpe is implying that Reaves should join another team. But he also mentioned why it would make sense for the Lakers to trade the Arkansas native. "But those three guys (Reaves, James and Luka Doncic) are not gonna win anything," Sharpe continued. "Now, I'm not saying you gotta package him, but they need a big. He's the only valuable piece that they have that they're willing to part with." Reaves has a player option for the 2026-27 season, which means he can opt out and become a free agent next summer. According to a report, he will turn down an extension and opt out in order to seek a contract that would pay him roughly $30 million a year. He will make $13.9 million next season, which means he may not fetch a ton in a trade this summer. This all makes his future with the Lakers murky and the debate about what they should do with him complicated.
The Age
3 days ago
- Business
- The Age
This idea helped build the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Could it save NSW heritage?
The Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge wouldn't exist today except for popular public lotteries that sold millions of tickets to support their construction. Now experts say a lottery like the UK Heritage Fund, which has raised $19 billion over the past 30 years, could save NSW's heritage before it is too late. The fund provides grants of $20,000 to $20 million to projects ranging from oral histories to castles and outdoor pools. Thanks to the British public, a $10 million payout supported the restoration of Brighton's art deco Saltdean Lido to its previous grandeur. The outdoor pool was built in the same era and style as the North Sydney Pool and Newcastle Baths. Asked whether she supports the idea of a UK-style heritage lottery, NSW Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe replied: 'We are open to any idea that could help raise funding for our state's heritage.' Sharpe said the government was committed to better supporting communities to protect, commemorate and enhance heritage for the next generations. The NSW draft heritage strategy released in mid-May – open for public feedback until early July – said more funding for conservation and enforcement had been a top concern in consultations. It coincided with coverage of the decline in Katoomba of famous art deco properties, including its old cinema, the Paragon Cafe and Mount St Mary's College and Convent. Former premier Bob Carr, now chair of the Australian Heritage Council and the Museums of History NSW, said it was worth interrogating how the UK heritage lottery worked, though criticism was inevitable. As a form of gambling, a heritage lottery was 'a relatively benign one, compared with poker machines and casinos'.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
This idea helped build the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Could it save NSW heritage?
The Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge wouldn't exist today except for popular public lotteries that sold millions of tickets to support their construction. Now experts say a lottery like the UK Heritage Fund, which has raised $19 billion over the past 30 years, could save NSW's heritage before it is too late. The fund provides grants of $20,000 to $20 million to projects ranging from oral histories to castles and outdoor pools. Thanks to the British public, a $10 million payout supported the restoration of Brighton's art deco Saltdean Lido to its previous grandeur. The outdoor pool was built in the same era and style as the North Sydney Pool and Newcastle Baths. Asked whether she supports the idea of a UK-style heritage lottery, NSW Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe replied: 'We are open to any idea that could help raise funding for our state's heritage.' Sharpe said the government was committed to better supporting communities to protect, commemorate and enhance heritage for the next generations. The NSW draft heritage strategy released in mid-May – open for public feedback until early July – said more funding for conservation and enforcement had been a top concern in consultations. It coincided with coverage of the decline in Katoomba of famous art deco properties, including its old cinema, the Paragon Cafe and Mount St Mary's College and Convent. Former premier Bob Carr, now chair of the Australian Heritage Council and the Museums of History NSW, said it was worth interrogating how the UK heritage lottery worked, though criticism was inevitable. As a form of gambling, a heritage lottery was 'a relatively benign one, compared with poker machines and casinos'.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
2 Chainz says each time he splurges on a Rolls Royce, he buys this 1 wealth-building asset to balance it out
Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below. From classic muscle cars to high-end European rides, Grammy-winning rapper 2 Chainz is no stranger to big splurges. But beyond the flashy impulse purchases, he's also been making some smart money moves behind the scenes. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has an important message for the next wave of American retirees — here's how he says you can best weather the US retirement crisis Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) In a recent episode of the Club Shay Shay podcast, host and Super Bowl champion Shannon Sharpe asked 2 Chainz to name some of his wildest purchases. 'I think I bought a [Rolls Royce] Phantom and a Maybach,' 2 Chainz told Sharpe. 'Damn, that is $800,000!' replied Sharpe, stunned by the sheer size of the purchase. But 2 Chainz insists there's a method to the madness: 'Every time I do something stupid, I try to balance it out,' he said. What does he use to balance it out? Real estate. 'As soon as I go buy a couple of chains, I would hit the girl that's handling my real estate business and tell her, 'Can you send me some properties to look at?'' he explained. The veteran rapper noted that artists who suddenly come into wealth often spend freely on 'stupid stuff' — from cars to jewelry. But eventually, the conversation would shift to passive income and investments. For 2 Chainz, real estate is a no-brainer — having spent hours in the studio just scrolling through property listings. 'I'm a property hoarder,' he told Sharpe. 'I be getting penalized, but it's my dirt and I know they don't make no more dirt.' As 2 Chainz points out, one of the core truths about real estate is just how scarce it can be. You can't create land out of thin air — and buildable land is even harder to come by. Even Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged at a press conference last year that the real problem behind America's housing crisis is simple: 'We have had, and are on track to continue to have, not enough housing.' An analysis by Zillow published in June 2024 estimated the U.S. housing shortage to be 4.5 million homes. That supply-demand imbalance may help explain why home prices continue to climb. Over the past five years, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index has surged by more than 50%. But, these days, you don't need to be as wealthy as 2 Chainz to start investing in real estate. Crowdfunding platforms like Arrived offer an easier way to get exposure to this income-generating asset class. Backed by world class investors like Jeff Bezos, Arrived allows you to invest in shares of rental homes with as little as $100, all without the hassle of mowing lawns, fixing leaky faucets or handling difficult tenants. The process is simple: browse a curated selection of homes that have been vetted for their appreciation and income potential. Once you find a property you like, select the number of shares you'd like to purchase, and then sit back as you start receiving rental income deposits from your investment. Another way to go is Homeshares, which gives accredited investors access to the $35 trillion U.S. home equity market, according to Federal Reserve data — a space that's historically been the exclusive playground of institutional investors. With a minimum investment of $25,000, investors can gain direct exposure to hundreds of owner-occupied homes in top U.S. cities through their U.S. Home Equity Fund — without the headache of buying, owning or managing property. With risk-adjusted target returns ranging from 14% to 17%, this approach provides an effective, hands-off way to invest in owner-occupied residential properties across regional markets. Read more: You're probably already overpaying for this 1 'must-have' expense — and thanks to Trump's tariffs, your monthly bill could soar even higher. Beyond real estate, the ultra-wealthy are also known to hoard fine art — and it's easy to see why. The supply of truly great works is limited, and many famous pieces have already been snatched up by museums and collectors. Art also has a low correlation with stocks and bonds, which helps with diversification, according to a recent Deloitte blog post. In 2022, a collection of art owned by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen sold for $1.5 billion at Christie's New York, making it the most valuable collection in auction history. Investing in art was traditionally a privilege reserved for the ultra-wealthy. Now, that's changed with Masterworks — a platform for investing in shares of blue-chip artwork by renowned artists, including Pablo Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Banksy. It's easy to use, and with 23 successful exits to date, every one of them has been profitable thus far. Simply browse their impressive portfolio of paintings and choose how many shares you'd like to buy. Masterworks will handle all the details, making high-end art investments both accessible and effortless. Masterworks has distributed roughly $61 million back to investors. New offerings have sold out in minutes, but you can skip their waitlist here. See important Regulation A disclosures at Access to this $22.5 trillion asset class has traditionally been limited to elite investors — until now. Here's how to become the landlord of Walmart or Whole Foods without lifting a finger Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Are you rich enough to join the top 1%? Here's the net worth you need to rank among America's wealthiest — plus a few strategies to build that first-class portfolio This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Sign in to access your portfolio
