Charlotte Works leads the way in workforce development

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Charlotte Works leads the way in workforce development

Charlotte Works continues to be a national – and international – leader in workforce development:

On Dec. 6, President and CEO Steve Partridge served as a panelist at the ED411 conference in Columbus, Ohio. Hosted by The Columbus Region, “ED411 is an annual half-day economic development training session designed to help elected and appointed officials and business leaders in the Columbus Region gain a greater understanding of economic development.”

Partridge and Kelly Wallace, director – adult workforce development, Career and Technology Education Centers (C-TEC), presented on the development of “demand driven” workforce programs that have a practical impact on employment and economic growth.

“We felt our partners in the Columbus Region would enjoy hearing from a workforce entity outside the region, in addition to learning about local best practices. Having familiarity with the success and business-driven approach of Charlotte Works, we were grateful to have Steve join us for ED411,” says Kenny McDonald, Columbus 2020 chief economic officer. “His presentation, as expected, resonated with the audience. We’ve received very positive feedback and believe his remarks will spark action in the Columbus Region.”

On Dec. 30, Charlotte Works’ client Greg Morris was interviewed for a segment on long-term unemployment that aired on Real Money with Ali Velshi, a financial show on new network Al Jazeera America. He shared his experience and how our organization has helped him. The story included an interesting interview about long-term unemployment in North Carolina with Wells Fargo Senior Economist Mark Vitner. Unfortunately, due to Al Jazeera America’s agreements with cable companies, the show is not available on the network’s website.

And on Jan. 3, the Charlotte Observer published “From trucking to IT: Hot Charlotte jobs for ’14.” In addition to a comment from Partridge, reporter Eric Frazier interviewed Charlotte Works’ clients Dynisha Faust and Jon-Paul Jones.

The Observer interviewed Morris and client Larry Dagenhart for “Six months after unemployment aid cutoff, job-seekers report tough market,” published Jan 11. Frazier produced an in-depth look at the effects of losing federal long-term unemployment insurance on both individuals and the state of North Carolina. An accompanying interview with Dagenhart is available on the paper’s YouTube channel.

Charlotte Works was also featured in a brief segment on WSOC-TV’s 5:30 p.m. evening newscast on Jan. 15. Shots included orientation and the resource center, in addition to a comment from Partridge.



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Leading the development of a skilled and in-demand workforce by engaging businesses, aligning community partners, empowering and connecting job seekers to meaningful employment, and fostering inclusive economic growth.