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It has been
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most
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gratifying to
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see recently
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trained
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start a new
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Tim Rhodes
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Small companies often require the same level of skilled
worker as their bigger cousins and yet many cannot find
enough people in the competitive labor market of today. In
addition, the cost of educating new or existing employees to a
competitive level can be prohibitive. These companies are
generators of employment and if s extremely important that
they be able to attract and retain quality workers. It must be
repeated, competitive companies, no matter where they are
located, are the companies that will survive into the next
century. Thriving organizations create jobs and therefore
economic development.
Rising to the need for educating those workers is the NC
Community College System with its mandate to aid economic
development in the state. Currently, there is a joint effort '
between the individual Community colleges in eastern North
Carolina and the community college system department of
economic development to work in partnership with new and
expanding industries in relation to their need to train
employees and enhance the skill levels as a result.
Representatives from the community colleges and the state
office are, by policy, able to work with most manufacturing
companies that are adding twelve or more production
employees and agree that they are to be placed in full-time
positions within the organization. As such, the local
business and industry representative from the college will
along with the regional manager of economic development from the community college system,
will meet with a prospective company and determine the training needs for the newly hired staff
That training plan will be approved both by the local college and at the state level. At that point,
the regional manager will authorize funding for the training from a budget specified for this
purpose by the NC General Assembly.
As an example, Gerald Barfield, Director of Business and Industry Services for Lenoir
Community College in Kinston, NC recently had the opportunity to aid a new company moving
into Lenoir County. This company is a subsidiary of a specialty food processor and had the need
to hire workers that possessed technical skills not readily available in the Kinston area.
Therefore, Mr. Barfield contacted Tim Rhodes, Regional Manager of Economic Development
services and jointly they determined that specific training would be required for new workers.
The training needs could not be met exclusively through the community college, therefore, an
expert in the field of food preparation was hired to train the staff as an adjunct to the training
offered by the college. As a result of the services offered by the community college and the
funding made available fi’om the state, this company was able to hire local people and offer them
permanent employment in a new industry that might otherwise not have located in the region.
This scenario is typical of the types of help that community colleges throughout the eastern part
of NC are able to offer companies that are searching for a home. Many of these firms would not
consider locating in this part of the state without the incentive of help in training their adult workers.