Finding a trained workforce is a concern across all business sectors, and the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce has someone focused on the challenge.
Dr. Nicole Spencer has joined the chamber as the Workforce Development Manager. She will coordinate initiatives designed for workforce development and education.
“It will be kind of similar to what I’m doing, workforce development, working on creating programs that lead into a workforce, creating that pipeline, working with the school system, which I did a lot at Augusta Tech, so it just, you know, seemed like the perfect fit,” she said.
She will also lead the chamber’s Workforce and Education Committee, support the Columbia County Chamber Foundation, and oversee grant and funding development.
“Nichole brings an exceptional depth of experience in education, workforce development, and leadership to the Chamber,” said Heath Taylor, President and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber, in a news release introducing Spencer. “Her experience working with students, educational institutions, and partners across Georgia will be a tremendous asset as we continue strengthening the connections between education and the needs of our business community.”
Spencer is uniquely qualified to lead both programs. Before joining the chamber, she was Vice President for Student Affairs at Augusta Technical College. Her focus was student services, including financial aid, career services, and military and veteran services.
“This position is important because you really need that go-between the chamber and how they serve their members, and the school system who produces the workforce for the business partners,” she explained. “A lot of times the two don’t communicate with one another, not because they don’t want to; they just don’t really know how. They don’t speak each other’s language. I think this position helps to bridge that gap.”
Prior to her tenure at Augusta Tech, she was Executive Director of Student Affairs for the Technical College System of Georgia. In that role, she collaborated with Student Affairs at all of Georgia’s 22 technical colleges.
Spencer said her years working at technical colleges taught her that not every student needs a four-year degree to find a good-paying job. She said there’s a shift toward training programs popular in the 1970s and 1980s that help students become workforce-ready in a short amount of time.
“We did get away from that, and we are paying the price,” she said. “With all the growth at SRNS and the growth at Fort Gordon and data centers coming, you need all these tradespeople, these craftsmen, and we’ve gotten away from these people being trained to do these jobs. There’s a whole generation that doesn’t know what that even is, and so you have to teach them and show them that they’re great jobs, jobs that you can make a lot of money and have a really good life.”
As she settles into her new role, Spencer said she anticipates partnering with the Carl Vinson Institute at the University of Georgia to undertake a workforce study project.
“I think they’re going to help us with really giving us some good data and some action items on how we can address the workforce pipeline,” she said. “Then we’ll share it with our friends in Augusta and across the river. We think we know the answer, we think we know the problem, but having an objective group like Carl Vinson to help us, I think, will give us some good data.”
Advancing workforce development and creating a strong regional pipeline is one of the Columbia County Chamber’s missions, working with members, along with leaders in business and education.
The chamber’s focus on those priorities as part of its strategic plan is available at www.ColumbiaCountyChamber.com/about-us
