The Workforce Investment Act Youth Program of the Salisbury Rowan Community Action Agency offers youth who have become disconnected from main stream institutions and systems another opportunity to successfully transition to adult roles and responsibilities. WIA would like our community to know that we are readily available in Rowan and Cabarrus County to low income youth, ages 16-21 who have dropped out of high school and need to obtain their GED, gain valuable work experience to become more marketable for the workforce. WIA Youth are involved in the community and extracurricular activities on a daily basis along with obtaining their GED.
WIA Youth Job Club participated in a hands on Job Shadow experience with 4-H NC Cooperative Extension, youth learned what skills it takes to become an engineer by building wind turbines. WIA youth studied and tested at Goodwill Connections, and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Extension (Cloverleaf Plaza) to obtain their Career Readiness Certificate (CRC). Twelve WIA youth have completed training courses with KHR Executives (located in Wake County, North Carolina) our youth are now Six Sigma Yellow Belt, OSHA General Industry Compliance, Customer Service Excellence certified. Along with those certifications our youth also received negotiation and interviewing skills, career assessments and coaching to prepare for jobs in the changing economy. WIA youth have also attended Job Club workshops on how to prepare themselves for renewable energy jobs, enlightening our youth of the major shift to renewable energy and energy efficiency that is expected to produce at 4.2 million new jobs over the next three decades. Along with preparing for post-secondary education and the workforce, WIA youth attend sessions with the Barksdale Foundation which help build our GED students self-worth and self-regard. We believe these lessons in Cabarrus/ Rowan counties have had a lasting impact on student morale and motivation. “When young people feel that they own their lives they are more likely to take control.”- Thomas Barksdale.
Kelli Sheehan a WIA GED graduate shared her success story at the 47th Salisbury Rowan Community Action Agency Annual Board meeting . Sheehan spoke of her trials and tribulations with overcoming her fears of success while obtaining her GED and working as a American Recovery and Reinvestment Act participant in the Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) program. During her tenure as a ARRA participant she held a position as a Nutrition Assistant with Head Start while attending Rowan Cabarrus Community College pursuing early childhood and now her current position as an Assistant Teacher at the Headstart Livingstone Center. Kelli Sheehan is one of our many success stories and a product of the Workforce Investment Act youth program, her successful path is an example of community partnerships and federal monies being put to use so that many can have a slice of their “American Pie.” Enhancing our participants lives and promoting the opportunity to achieve self-sufficiency is our mission at the Salisbury-Rowan Community Action Agency, Inc., we Help People and Change Lives.
The WIA Youth Program is funded by the Centralina Workforce Development Board. Joann Diggs, WIA Director, Almond Miller, WIA Business Liaison, Lucy Ancheta, WIA Validation Specialist, Shenita Russell, Rowan YD Specialist, Melissa Robinson, Cabarrus YD Specialist & GED Instructor and Stan Wilson, Executive Director of the Salisbury Rowan Community Action Agency, Inc. for program information contact Joann Diggs at 704-216-2189.