Training Center
The department provides a variety of educational and professional development opportunities for professionals and the general public. These include basic courses suitable for the entry-level practitioner and more advanced skill-building courses designed for experienced professionals seeking to develop new areas of expertise.
To assess the training needs of the state's alcohol and other drug abuse professionals, DAODAS is a founding member of the South Carolina Substance Abuse Training Consortium.
South Carolina Prevention Workforce Development Plan
Prevention workforce development is essential to improving – and maintaining – competent and well-prepared professionals and support personnel to conduct the important work of preventing problem behaviors among youth. One of the greatest barriers to an effective workforce is turnover. Turnover is also costly – an average of $20,282 each time a prevention specialist leaves to find another job. According to a 2005 survey of South Carolina’s prevention workforce, workers are becoming frustrated at the lack of salary and professional-advancement opportunities. In addition, the field of prevention is becoming more complex as research begins to inform practice.
South Carolina's workforce development plan – the product of approximately three years of work – was created under the auspices of the joint Prevention Subcommittee of DAODAS and Behavioral Health Services Association of South Carolina Inc. (BHSA). The components and overall report have been reviewed with local prevention staff on a multitude of occasions. No other state has a more comprehensive look at prevention workforce development. To view the Prevention Workforce Development Plan, click here. ( *You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the plan.)