Community Partners

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Powering Mecklenburg’s Economic Mobility Through Partnership

No single organization can solve the workforce challenges of a growing economy alone. At Charlotte Works, we lead the development of strategic alliances between economic development, business, government, and education to ensure our local talent is ready for the jobs of today and the future.

The Workforce Development Providers Council (WPC)

A primary example of our collaborative model is the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Workforce Development Providers Council (WPC). Comprising 15 core organizations, the WPC serves as an advisory committee to our Workforce Development Board. By aligning resources and responding directly to business needs, the WPC increases economic opportunity across the region.

Explore our WPC partners and resources: www.wpc.work

Join the Ecosystem: Bi-Monthly Coordination Meetings

We invite organizations that serve job seekers or provide essential support services to join our broader workforce ecosystem.

You can participate in our regular bi-monthly subcommittee meetings, which are open to any community partner dedicated to talent development and removing barriers to employment. These meetings serve as a hub for real-time collaboration, networking, and resource sharing.

Let’s Build the Future Together

Whether you are a direct workforce provider or an organization providing the wraparound services—like housing, childcare, or transportation—that make employment possible, your expertise is vital to our mission. Connect with us to stay informed about meeting dates and partnership opportunities.

Working Smart for Community Partners

Created in response to increasing employer demands for workers with skills beyond their technical expertise, Working Smart: Essential Skills for Workplace Success is a five-module, 16-lesson scenario-based curriculum that enhances job seeker skills such as communication, problem-solving, time management and accountability; retention skills that many employers feel are missing from today’s workforce. Working Smart is available for youth and young adults.

Client-serving agencies can incorporate Working Smart into existing training programs to boost outcomes or direct participants to one of many agencies currently offering the curriculum.

Working Smart-certified graduates will learn the following topics:

Personal Branding
Self-Change
Stress Management
Employer Expectations
Code-Switching
Active Listening
Four C’s of Communication
Handling Feedback
Goal Setting
Facts vs. Opinions

There are eleven agencies in Mecklenburg County that offer the Working Smart program. Charlotte Works serves as a convener for all certified agencies in both North and South Carolina, and we offer guidance and assistance to all agencies that offer the program.

Currently, the Working Smart program is not offering Train the Trainer sessions at this time. Any updates will be posted here on the website.

If you have any questions, contact info@charlotteworks.com for more information.