Berkeley Chamber Rural Initiative Chosen for National Effort to Rethink and Revitalize Economies in
Berkeley County, SC – Berkeley Chamber of Commerce has been selected by CivicLab to participate in a three-year incubator to rethink and revitalize their communities by strengthening rural higher education and employment systems. Berkeley Chamber Rural Initiative joins other communities participating in this cohort from states across the country, including Arkansas, California, Florida, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, and Ohio.
Supported by Ascendium Education Group and ECMC Foundation, Berkeley Chamber Rural Initiative will receive training, technical assistance, and direct financial support for system-level strategies that create stronger education-to-employment pathways aligned to future economies.
After a national call for proposals, Berkeley Chamber Rural Initiative was selected through a rigorous review process and demonstrated a readiness to focus on rural redevelopment in order to strengthen the communities they call home for the future.
“We were fortunate to receive many strong applications from interested communities,” said Amber Fischvogt, director at CivicLab. “Berkeley Chamber Rural Initiative brought together the necessary partners in their community and demonstrated their readiness for a new type of conversation about rural talent development and systems building.”
Berkeley Chamber Rural Initiative is dedicated to fostering sustainable growth in rural Berkeley County, South Carolina. This initiative, which includes partnerships with educational institutions, industry leaders, non-profits, and community groups, is united by a shared vision to bridge gaps in education, workforce training, and economic opportunity in underserved areas. Central to our efforts is the focus and expansion of community resource Hubs —community centers designed to meet critical needs and drive economic advancement for residents.
"We are thrilled to join this national cohort and engage in a collective effort to reshape the future of rural communities,” said Elaine Morgan, CEO of Berkeley Chamber. “By working closely with local partners and learning from other communities across the country, we aim to drive lasting change that enhances educational and economic outcomes for Berkeley County. This initiative represents a pivotal step forward in our commitment to community development and growth."
Berkeley Chamber Rural Initiative joins a cohort including:
Community Education Coalition – Bartholomew County, Ind.
Convening Organization: Columbus Learning Center Management Corporation
Focus: 8-county region in south central Indiana
Expect More Tehama – Tehama County, Calif.
Convening Organization: Expect More Tehama
Focus: Tehama County
FutureMakers Coalition at Collaboratory – Southwest Florida, Fla.
Convening Organization: Collaboratory
Focus: Hendry and Glades Counties
IMPACT Independence – Independence County, Ark.
Convening Organization: IMPACT Independence
Focus: Independence County
John Jay WorkReady Institute – Jay County, Ind.
Convening Organization: John Jay Center for Learning
Focus: Jay County
Our Future in UNiSON – Anston & Union Counties, N.C.
Convening Organization: Wingate University
Focus: Anston & Union Counties
Southeast Ohio Career System Builders – Southeast Ohio, Ohio
Convening Organization: Building Bridges to Careers, Inc.
Focus: 25-county region in southeast Ohio
Tuscarawas Valley Industry Sector Partnership –Tuscarawas County, Ohio
Convening Organization: Tuscarawas County Economic Development Corporation
Focus: Tuscarawas County
Western Montana Care Workforce Collaborative – Western & Central Montana, Mont.
Convening Organization: University of Montana
Focus: Western & Central Montana
The initiative launched in July 2024 with a team from Berkeley Chamber Rural Initiative attending a three-day institute focused on stakeholder engagement and system building tools. A total of six institutes will be provided over the three-year period.
Berkeley Chamber Rural Initiative will also receive new data sets and methodologies to support a novel approach to economic development. CivicLab will provide its spatial diversity census books and new methods of qualitative data collection and analysis to each community, supplementing their existing use of labor market data.
“Communities have historically relied solely on labor market projections when making economic and talent development decisions,” explained Dakota Pawlicki, director of Talent Hubs at CivicLab. “By bringing new data sets rooted in place and people, we are equipping rural communities with a comprehensive and home-grown approach to community vitality.”
Each partnership will co-create a workplan that builds upon their existing efforts and implement strategies towards their unique goals. These plans go beyond organizational strategic plans and focus entirely on what a community can achieve only by working together.
"Being chosen for this initiative is a significant milestone for this initiative. This partnership allows us to bring new resources and innovative strategies to our community, enabling us to build a stronger, more resilient economy. We are excited to collaborate with national leaders to create meaningful opportunities for our residents and ensure a prosperous future for our rural areas,” added Elaine Morgan.
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About Berkeley Chamber of Commerce: The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business in the greater Berkeley County area. The Chamber seeks to accomplish this vision by advocating for initiatives that enable businesses to grow, thrive and remain relevant and forward-thinking in an ever-changing world. The chamber exists to create a positive impact on our community. The Berkeley Chamber strives to be the unifying force that brings together and leads those who work to improve the quality of life in the Berkeley County region through business growth.
About Ascendium Education Group: Ascendium Education Group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to helping people reach the education and career goals that matter to them. Ascendium invests in initiatives designed to increase the number of students from low-income backgrounds who complete postsecondary degrees, certificates and workforce training programs, with an emphasis on first-generation students, incarcerated adults, rural community members, students of color and veterans. Ascendium's work identifies, validates and expands best practices to promote large-scale change at the institutional, system and state levels, with the intention of elevating opportunity for all. For more information, visit https://www.ascendiumphilanthropy.org.
About CivicLab: CivicLab, (a program of the Community Education Coalition) is a nonprofit institute dedicated to advancing the practice of civic collaboration and leading complex social systems. CivicLab’s approach is to: 1) learn what makes community collaboration work at its best, 2) document the discoveries, and 3) teach and share the practices broadly. The purpose of the work is to help communities increase their collective capacity—which is their ability to get things done, together. Since its inception, CivicLab has partnered with over 300 communities and organizations across the U.S. and trained more than 14,000 leaders of foundations, educational institutions, government, corporations, and community development organizations.
CivicLab is the home of Talent Hubs and the National Talent Network. The Talent Hub designation signifies that a local or regional cross-sector partnership has met rigorous standards for creating environments that attract, retain, and cultivate talent, particularly among today’s students, many of whom are people of color, the first in their families to go to college, and from low-income households. The designation serves both as an aspirational target for other cities to aim for and a platform from which cities designated as Talent Hubs can build. The National Talent Network is a group of nearly 100 cross-sector partnerships working collaboratively to connect learning to economic opportunity in the places they call home.
About ECMC Foundation: ECMC Foundation is a national foundation whose North Star goal is to eliminate equity gaps in postsecondary completion by 2040 so that underserved learners have greater opportunity for social and economic mobility. The Foundation’s mission is to improve higher education for career success among underserved populations through evidence-based innovation. ECMC Foundation makes strategic grants and program-related investments to support both nonprofit and for-profit ventures, guided by a strategic framework which aims to advance systemic change by removing barriers to postsecondary completion; building the capacity of organizations, institutions, and systems; and transforming the postsecondary ecosystem. Learn more about ECMC Foundation by visiting www.ecmcfoundation.org and our parent company, ECMC Group, by visiting www.ecmcgroup.org.
CivicLab Media Contact:
Dakota Pawlicki
CivicLab
815-245-3222
dpawlicki@civiclab.org
For more information, visit https://www.rurallearningsystems.org.
Media Contact:
Elaine Morgan
Berkeley Chamber of Commerce
843-761-8238
emorgan@bcoc.com
