"South Carolina just moved forward in a big way today," she said. "We're going to see it not only in the skills people are able to get, we're going to see it in the jobs we build; we're going to see it in the companies that come," she said. "Today's a great day in South Carolina."

South Carolina already has about 100 contracts with ACT's work readiness system, Haley said.

That system today involves up to nine tests that assess workers' skills, identifying the level of skill employers need, training to close those gaps, and credentials awarded in the bronze, silver, gold and platinum levels.

Since 2007, more than 150,000 such certificates have been issued through the state's unemployment agency.

Those tests can be taken at 35 workforce centers statewide, said Abraham Turner, director of the Department of Employment and Workforce.

The new initiative, which costs the state no additional money, is meant to integrate South Carolina's various testing and training programs, while coordinating efforts statewide among state and county agencies, high schools and technical schools.

The idea is to assess high school graduates' and workers' skills on a county level, and then fill the gaps, with each county setting their own goals. The year-long initiative will involve ACT representatives training state leaders, who will then train local leaders.

"This is creating a business plan for workforce training," Haley said.

Haley said South Carolina applied for the pilot after she talked with former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue about that state's partnership with ACT, where the community training effort developed. A 2010 survey of Georgia businesses showed 86 percent of them reported the system helped them find higher-quality employees, and a majority said it saved them money and reduced employee turnover, according to a handout from Haley's office.

South Carolina's unemployment rate was 9.5 percent in December. That's the lowest it's been in three years. Georgia's jobless rate in December was 9.7 percent.