About MEBA
Vision
Community collaboration between business and education to promote economic development and enhance the quality of life in the Midlands by encouraging all young people to make a successful transition to adulthood by acquiring the education and skills needed to pursue their desired career goals.
Mission
To connect students, parents, educators and employers to education and career opportunities in the Midlands through programs and partnerships of business, school, college, faith, and other community leaders.
Midlands Education and Business Alliance
Midlands Education and Business Alliance (MEBA) is a dynamic organization with an eye on the future. The primary focus of the Alliance is to build connections in the community that will expose students and parents to a broad variety of careers and inform them of the requirements for pursuing those career options. Students begin career awareness as early as elementary school. In middle school, students begin narrowing their choices and developing a plan to achieve the education and experience needed to prepare for their area of interest. Once in high school, students implement the plan that best fits their career goals. MEBA guides educators, students and parents through this process through numerous activities such as Your Child Is Job #1, education and training experiences, resources, speakers bureaus, field studies, mentoring, shadowing, and internships. The Alliance works diligently to provide students with the knowledge and skills that will allow them to continue in postsecondary education or training to transition effectively into the workforce.
MEBA has the opportunity to impact the community through career education and awareness for students, educators, and parents. Students will better understand the options available after high school, and through this understanding students will be encouraged to complete high school and continue their education at a postsecondary level. These individuals will be properly trained in a field that corresponds with their talents, interests and abilities that will then lead to a qualified workforce for existing business and industry. A qualified workforce will promote economic development and attract new knowledge based industry to the Midlands. With an abundance of new, high paying jobs and citizens educated to fill those jobs, the community will benefit through an increase in personal income and quality of life.
MEBA connects businesses, communities and education systems in Richland, Lexington and Fairfield counties. Founded in 1990 as part of the statewide Tech Prep initiative, MEBA was one of the original sixteen Tech Prep consortia in South Carolina. Over time, MEBA has evolved into a non-profit organization with a diverse funding stream.
The work is carried out by a full-time professional staff who provide career-planning services to 7 colleges and universities, 9 school districts, 151 schools, and almost 100,000 students and coordinate the activities of over 200 volunteers from business and education. MEBA is proud to be a model for building partnerships between education and businesses to create pathways for students from school to work.