Rowan-Cabarrus Community College has been awarded a $301,539 grant from the North Carolina Department of Commerce in support of the N.C. Back-to-Work initiative. The program will focus on providing job training and retraining to long-term unemployed citizens of North Carolina.
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College will leverage the N.C. Back-to-Work grant to provide short-term training leading to stackable credentials and certifications including career readiness and third-party technical certifications. Participants will also work with career coaches to determine a realistic career plan for entry-level employment.
The college’s initial plans for the grant include a focus on specific programs and training based on local job availability and identified industry needs. These include commercial construction, welding, robotics, OSHA, Mastercam and Microsoft Office.
Individuals who have received unemployment benefits for more than 26 weeks, as certified by the Department of Commerce, or individuals who have exhausted their unemployment benefits will qualify for the program, which may cover student support and coaching, targeted financial assistance, including assistance with tuition, registration fees, books and certification costs.
“The N.C. Back-to-Work grant will assist Rowan and Cabarrus County residents who have exhausted their unemployment benefits and lack the resources to go back to school,” said Jeanie Moore, vice president of advancement and continuing education. “Our goal is to help these individuals obtain marketable credentials which we hope will lead to sustainable employment and new careers.”
Colleges were invited to apply for funding based on criteria which included the number of long-term unemployed and the percentage of long-term unemployed in a college’s service area, the college’s ability to carry out the program goals, and the availability of potential jobs in the service area.
“These funds will give the college the opportunity to jump start innovative and creative initiatives that we’ve been working on for the last few months. We want nothing more than to help improve the ability for our citizens to get back to work,” said Dr. Carol S. Spalding, president of Rowan-Cabarrus.
Sixteen community colleges are participating in the N.C. Back-to-Work project. Ten colleges received funding from a $5 million allocation from the N.C. General Assembly. Rowan-Cabarrus Community College was selected as one of six community colleges across the state to receive funding from an additional $2 million from the North Carolina Department of Commerce. The funding period for the grant is Aug. 18 to June 30, 2013. The funding source for this allocation is federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds.
Each college selected received a base allocation of $250,000. Rowan-Cabarrus qualified for an additional $51,539 in remaining funds that was allocated among selected colleges based on their pro-rata share of individuals who have exhausted their unemployment insurance benefits.
The college will partner with the local JobLink Career Centers and NC Division of Workforce Solutions to recruit eligible individuals for the program.
Those with interest in the grant should contact the college’s R3 Center in Kannapolis at 704-216-7201.