South By North Strategies, Ltd.

With part of its federal recovery money, North Carolina has endeavored to create short-term training and career transition opportunities for dislocated workers. A recent story in The Charlotte Observer highlighted one such project taking place at Central Piedmont Community College.

The fast track program, created last fall with $500,000 in federal stimulus dollars, will offer training to 450 students in more than 10 vocations, including pharmacy technician, commercial carpentry and electronic engine repair. Much of that money comes through North Carolina’s “12 in 6” worker-training initiative, launched by Gov. Bev Perdue last spring to help N.C. community colleges offer certification classes to displaced workers and other job seekers.
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In the Charlotte region, where the unemployment rate is now 12.1 percent, the fast track program is part of CPCC’s emphasis on training workers for emerging industries – or those hiring at the moment. Stimulus money also is paying for a $73,000 CPCC work-study program, in which 16 students can earn credit toward certification by working part-time in their field of study.