Some workers in South Carolina are getting help from the government to receive the skills they need in order to find entry level jobs.

The South Carolina Department of Commerce recently announced that it is adding $4 million to the state technical college system's Quick Jobs program. The money is coming from the federal Workforce Investment Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The investment in the training program could tremendously help those who are looking for an entry level job. For instance, people can receive up to 240 hours in training for energy-related jobs, such as weatherizing homes, that pay anywhere from $15 to $31 per hour.

Anyone who loses their job to foreign competition or who lacks the skills necessary to be considered for an existing job is eligible for the training. Workers will be screened by state employment offices to see if they meet the eligibility criteria.

Finding entry level jobs has become harder than usual as of late, as older and more experienced workers who have lost their jobs are thrown into the same candidate pool. And in South Carolina, finding any job has become increasingly difficult for some time.

During May, the state's unemployment rate increased from 11.4 percent to 12.1 percent, which is higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.4 percent. South Carolina hasn't seen its unemployment rate decrease since January 2008, when it went from 5.8 percent to 5.7 percent.

Despite the rising unemployment rate, South Carolina has managed to add some jobs as of late. The state had a total non-farm employment of 1,852,000 workers during May, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 1,851,400 workers during April, but a 4.8 percent decrease from last year.