The Southeast Entertainment Restaurant Group (SERG) is now helping all eligible employees pay for their college tuition. Their new college savings plan enables staff to earn up to $1 towards their higher education for every hour worked in SERG’s restaurants.

Steve Carb, SERG Group president, said the college savings program is a “win-win plan” for employees and the restaurants.

“Number one, there is a labor shortage. Number two, this allows us to find young, willing and able people who are interested in the same things we are,” Carb said, adding, “It’s a good plan to give these young people the tools they need for success in the future while being compensated along the way.”

This isn't the first time SERG has introduced a benefit to their team members who are in school. Last year, they initiated a tuition reimbursement program solely for the students of the University of South Carolina Beaufort.

“We have been looking into benefits that would provide value to our community of high school and college-aged employees and believe this program does just that,” said Jordan Norris, SERG’s human resources manager.

The college savings plan is available to all full-time high school or college students, including seasonal staff who only work during school breaks and summer. Interested employees must fill out an application with human resources. The restaurants will contribute 25 cents for every hour worked per year. Contributions increase 25 cents per year with a max of $1 per hour toward higher education tuition. Checks will be issued to the Bursars Office of the institution of enrollment.

“A lot of times SERG restaurants are the employee’s first jobs,” said Carb. “We give them good training. We wanted to give them help by creating a program that would reward them for staying with us.”

Alan Wolf, SERG director of operations and partner, said such a program will be especially beneficial for future students of The Culinary Institute of the South at Technical College of the Lowcountry, which will be located near the Frankie Bones restaurant coming soon to Bluffton’s Buckwalter corridor.

“The college savings plan is a program we are excited to pioneer here in the Lowcountry,” Wolf said. “We strive to have great team members in our restaurants and we feel this is an opportunity for our local workforce to start a career with SERG while saving for the education that will continue to help them grow as members of the local workforce.”