By Dr. Mark Poarch and MC Belk Pilon
After two years of unprecedented challenges, we know that many North Carolinians are looking for new opportunities and a fresh start. Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute (CCC&TI) is a great place for them to begin their journey.
In just a matter of months at CCC&TI, adult learners can acquire the skills, credentials, and degrees they need for a better job, a bigger paycheck, and an even brighter future for themselves and their families.
Everyone knows most higher-wage jobs require more than a high school diploma, but unfortunately fewer than half of North Carolinians between the ages 25 and 44 have the education and training needed to fill these jobs. Meanwhile, employers across the region are frantically looking for the skilled talent needed to fill current vacancies.
According to statistics provided by Carolina Demography and myFutureNC, 71 percent of Caldwell County residents ages 25 to 44 lack degrees beyond high school. Though Watauga County’s percentage is much better with only 45 percent of adults 25 to 44 lacking a degree beyond high school, there’s still much room for improvement.
That is why CCC&TI, the John M. Belk Endowment, myFutureNC, and several other state and local partners are working together to launch a “Better Skills. Better Jobs.” outreach campaign this summer and fall to attract even more adult learners back to college.
The goal is to connect and inform as many adults as possible about the variety of fast, flexible and affordable education and job training programs that CCC&TI offers.
CCC&TI offers affordable and convenient higher education and career training options for the residents of Caldwell and Watauga counties, and beyond. Since opening its doors in 1964, CCC&TI has served thousands of people by providing an affordable avenue to earn an associate degree, transfer to a four-year institution, or in updating or learning new job skills when exploring a new career pathway or personal interest.
From nursing and health services to biopharmaceutical technology, from electrical lineworker and construction trades to truck driving training, and many more, these programs offer a direct pipeline to many of the region’s top employers.
We are pleased to be partnering on this important new initiative. We are dedicated to ensuring that 2 million North Carolinians, especially those between the ages of 25 and 44, have a high-quality credential or a postsecondary degree by the year 2030.
This summer’s “Better Skills. Better Jobs.” campaign includes direct outreach to adults who previously earned some college credits but left without a degree or certification; special community events and assistance paying for school; digital marketing and advertising, and customized materials designed to quickly help more adult learners reconnect and re-enroll.
Please join us in sharing this information with your family, colleagues, employees, friends, and neighbors. Remind them that better skills can lead to better jobs – to greater personal and career opportunities – and an even stronger and more economically vibrant North Carolina for all of us.
Also, CCC&TI is hosting Cobra Family Fest Thursday, July 14 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the Caldwell Campus at 2855 Hickory Blvd., Hudson. The event is free and open to the public, and provides new, current and prospective students an opportunity to tour the Caldwell Campus with their families and learn about the programs offered. In addition to CCC&TI program and resources information, the event will include music, food, prizes, games and kid-friendly activities.
Visit www.betterskillsbetterjobs.com/caldwell to connect with CCC&TI to explore your potential new career path and discover the opportunity of a lifetime.
MC Belk Pilon is President and Board Chair of the John M. Belk Endowment, a private family foundation committed to transforming postsecondary educational opportunities to meet North Carolina’s evolving workforce needs.
Dr. Mark Poarch is the President of Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute.