A solid workforce begins with education, but schools cannot do it alone. That was the message at the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce’s November Power Lunch.
“Leading Forward: Education, Industry and the Future” brought together speakers representing the full range of education, from grade school through post-secondary. Dr. Corey Murphy, Superintendent, Aiken County Public School District (ACPSD); Kristina Baggott, Vice President-Corporate & Community Engagement at Augusta University; and Dr. Forest Mahan, President of Aiken Technical College, led the discussion.
Dr. Sean Alford, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, introduced the panel. Alford previously served as superintendent of ACPSD, giving him the point of view from both education and industry.
“We realize that workforce begins long before those individuals come knock on our door,” he began. “It begins in classrooms, it begins in labs, it begins in internships, it also begins in partnerships that we hope to help facilitate today. Workforce that we need tomorrow is being shaped today. Preparing for that future requires alignment of education and industry to accomplish that goal.”
Murphy agreed preparation is important for students, but it reaches beyond simply graduating. Today’s students are tomorrow’s engineers, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, and skilled employees, and K-12 education must help them do more than earn a diploma.
We want to help them graduate to prepare for success in college, career, and life. And we recognize that we can’t accomplish the work alone,” he said. “Our partnership with local businesses and industries is essential to preparing students for the opportunity to finish. One of the most important priorities is ensuring that every student develops the academic foundation necessary for success after graduation, and that starts with strong literacy and mathematics instruction.”
Murphy added it must also include student engagement and helping students discover their interests, but also their strengths.
ACPSD is also home to the Career and Technology Center (CTC), which has always worked closely with Aiken Tech to get students workforce-ready across a variety of professions. That relationship is about to become physically much closer with the new CTC under construction on the Aiken Tech campus.
Mahan said that, combined with the nursing education complex also under construction, it will open new doors on campus.
“This is going to really help us a great deal because the number one job opening in this region is registered nurses,” said Mahan. “Once this new building is open, we’re going to be able to move our nurses out of the current health science program and building. They’re going to be able to expand the current program space, such as expanded dental assisting, as well as surg (surgical) tech, med (medical) tech.”
Mahan added that an education at Aiken Tech can prepare a student to immediately enter the workforce with a certification, an apprenticeship, or a two-year degree. However, he said that also opens opportunities to pursue a four-year degree.
Baggott said one of Augusta University’s advantages is utilizing existing partnerships with diverse businesses to provide students with internships, demonstrating the progression from the classroom to employment.
“We do that a number of ways,” she explained. “The career readiness pieces, which are about making sure they have the soft skills, that they have critical thinking, teamwork, communication. But then also that they have hands-on experiences. Then even once they’re in the workforce, there are opportunities for our students to continue learning and to continue growing their credentials.”
Chamber President, Terra Carroll said the goal was to learn what is happening today in education and business, but also to open a discussion of how to move forward with workforce development.
