NCC Adds State Certified Advanced Manufacturing Training Pathway
From left, Ralph Emerson, Cummins Rocky Mount Engine Plant, Director of Manufacturing Functional Excellence; Pam Lewis, Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools Executive Director of Career and Technical Education; Dr. Julia Hamilton, North Carolina Community College System Coordinator of Career and Technical Education; Dr. Bill Carver, Nash Community College President
Manufacturing Day was celebrated Friday, October 6, 2017 to recognize the importance of modern manufacturing, its role, and to inspire the next generation of manufacturers.
Nash Community College, a leader in Advanced Manufacturing training, Nash-Rocky Mount Schools and the Turning Point Workforce Development Board held a formal presentation of their certificates for implementation of an Advanced Manufacturing Pathway to assist the area’s workforce.
Certification of a “pathway” shows that the training meets the state’s rigorous requirements and demonstrates the importance of employer-led, integrated strategies that will connect job seekers to employers. The certification is a credential that signals to employers that the locality has collaborative tools to train a workforce to meet their needs.
NCWorks Pathways are designed to serve not only secondary school and community college enrollees but dislocated adults as well, steering them toward a career. Pathways are required to be flexible, allowing for short term or long term commitments and are backed by all aspects of the community to bolster successful outcomes.
Working together with partners in the area to achieve this goal, Wil van der Meulen, Nash Community College Pathways and Transition Coordinator said, “The collaboration among education partners and workforce in our region has been largely instrumental in enabling us to implement this comprehensive plan.”
The partners involved include: local employers, workforce development board director/representatives, community college representatives, public school representatives, and NCWorks Career Center.
The idea behind Career Pathways is to provide opportunities for job seekers, giving them the skills needed to succeed in a career by guiding them through training. Coordinating with the school district, colleges, local community leaders, workforce centers and employers – research has proven that the approach works in matching worker preparation to employer need.
The NCWorks Commission certified the Northeast Career Pathway Partnership in both the Healthcare and Advanced Manufacturing pathways. Two more pathways being developed are Business Support Services and Agri-Science and Biotechnology. The NCWorks Commission recommends policies and strategies that enable the state’s workforce and businesses to compete in the global economy.
