CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – An Horry County college tries to prepare students for a career that’s seeing a national shortage: Court reporting.
Horry-Georgetown Technical College launched a digital court reporting program this week, which the school says is the first of its kind in South Carolina.
“If a student has an interest in technology, this is a great way to utilize that interest and have an opportunity for a pretty nice salary,” said Daniel Hoppe, director of the Distance Learning Institute at HGTC. “The starting salary is around $41,000.”
Fifteen students in online classes learn how to use specialized audio technology to keep court records.
Hoppe says the program will help fill roughly 5,500 unfilled court reporting jobs nationwide, 164 of which are in the Palmetto State.
“The State of South Carolina is looking toward digital court reporting to meet that demand,” Hoppe said. “We’ve partnered with them to identify that need and provide education for them.”
Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Murrells Inlet, helped HGTC at the state level.
He says more court reporters will make Horry County’s legal system more efficient.
“In the last six months, I know of at least three terms of court that have been canceled,” Sen. Goldfinch said. “It is affecting every single county in the state.”
HGTC says the program also teaches students tasks they need to do outside the courtroom like depositions.
“Our program, working with our partner BlueLedge, is an accredited program, so students who complete our program are able to go right to work at the State of South Carolina.”
The digital court reporting course takes 15-18 weeks to complete.
HGTC will also launch stenography and voice writing programs next month.