03 May The NCWorks Career Center Hosted an Open House Event
NCWorks Career Center held an Open House on April 25th. Charlotte Works celebrated 25 years of serving Mecklenburg County residents and businesses through NCWorks programs and services by hosting the event at the new NCWorks facility. This space provides comprehensive services for connecting Mecklenburg County job seekers to employers and providing professional development opportunities, such as resume and interview workshops, on-the-job training experiences, certification and licensing scholarships, and career mapping.
In the 2021 program year, over 56,000 job seekers accessed the Career Center’s services, and 150 employers were served through hiring events. With a central location on McAlpine Park Drive and through collaborative efforts to provide additional accessible service points out in the community, NCWorks and the NextGen youth programs are able to expand their ability to serve residents ages 16 and up where they live as well as local businesses.
Speakers at the event included Mayor Vi Lyles, Commissioner Chair George Dunlap from the Mecklenburg County Board of County Commissioners, Kevin Monroe, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for Governor Roy Cooper, Ronne Grantham, Regional Operations Director for the Division of Workforce Solutions for the Southwest Prosperity Zone, Charlotte Works Board of Directors Chair Matt Bradley, and Danielle Frazier, President and CEO of Charlotte Works. During the program, the speakers shared their inclusive vision for Mecklenburg County’s workforce and the vital role the Career Center’s programs and services, which are offered at no cost to job seekers and employers, play in building economic prosperity for all.
In attendance were members of the Charlotte Works Board of Directors, local business partners, community partners, and other elected officials. The program closed with a panel discussion where a NextGen youth program participant, Joan Sebastian Laos, on-the-job training grant recipient, Taeisha Legardy, and on-the-job training employer, Cissy White, were able to share highlights of their journeys with NCWorks and answer questions about the programs’ impact on their career path or business success.