On Oct. 20, Gov. Henry McMaster toured the Creators Wanted workforce development exhibition during its stop at Nephron Pharmaceuticals’ headquarters in West Columbia. The touring effort from the National Association of Manufacturing and The Manufacturing Institute aims to inspire “job seekers, students, parents and teachers with the possibilities of a rewarding career in modern manufacturing,” per a press release. The exhibit, which was in town Oct. 20 and 21, works along the lines of an escape room, with attendees solving manufacturing-related puzzles to unlock each subsequent display.

“These young people here today are the future,” the governor said during a press gaggle after his walkthrough, speaking about the students with which he toured the exhibit. “To the question of, ‘How do we get them involved?’ We just have to show them what all is available, because there are enormous, exciting jobs that are accessible through a high school education. And then if you go, in our great technical college system ... you can get certificates, you can get associate’s degrees, and you can do that ... work here at Nephron and other places.”