RELEASE: Immediate
CONTACT: Public Affairs
DATE: October 25, 2005 PHONE: (919) 807- 6963
IMPACT OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES EVIDENT AT STATEWIDE WORKFORCE AWARD
CEREMONY
RALEIGH — “Creating the workforce advantage” is the theme of
the 2005 Workforce Development Partnership Conference that
begins on Tuesday, October 26 and runs through Thursday, October
28 at the Sheraton Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention
Center in Greensboro. The conference focuses on building
partnerships and providing better service to employers and job
seekers across the state. More than 1200 individuals will
participate in the conference. The North Carolina Community College
System is a major partner presenting the conference.
The Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Workforce Development
ceremony is a conference highlight. Awards are presented to the
individuals and businesses that have shown their ability to meet
challenges in their lives or the lives of their employees, generally
with the help of a community college. The Governor’s Awards honor
individuals for their outstanding accomplishments and businesses for
their contribution in helping the state achieve its workforce
development goals. Job Link Career Centers from across the state are
also recognized for the service they provide to their clients.
Honorees will be recognized at the Governor’s Award Banquet at
6:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 27.
The award recipients this year graphically illustrate the role that
community colleges play in changing lives and making dreams come
true. The employer often uses the local community college to provide
vital training for employees and thereby instill a resilient spirit.
The individual honorees have demonstrated their resilient nature by
using a community college to turn his or her life around.
Butler Manufacturing Company of Laurinburg is a
Governor’s Outstanding Workforce Development Employer. The
company is the leading manufacturer of pre-engineered metal
buildings and serves customers across the southeast. Butler employs
227 people and was selected because of its dedication to employees,
regard for safety, contributions to the local and state economies,
and strong support of the community. Butler provides on-site
blueprint reading training to their employees and prospective
employees through Richmond Community College. Additional
training in welding, press operation, structural painting and other
skills is provided. High school students are mentored and a Butler
supervisor teaches at Scotland High School. Butler has improved
workforce development opportunities for youth and young adults.
Hickory Springs Metal Complex of Hickory is the other
Governor’s Outstanding Workforce Development Employer. The
company is one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of sleeper
mechanisms for contract, industrial and consumer markets and is a
leader in the manufacture and distribution of metal components for
the furniture industry. Hickory Springs Metal Complex employs 625
and has been a leader in the community of hiring persons with
disabilities. Their policies have educated other businesses in the
community and surrounding areas about a valuable labor force that is
often overlooked. The company is all about quality products,
customer service, and providing for their employees and the
community.
All of the individual honorees have either used or plan to use their
local community college to overcome personal hurdles or as a major
educational resource.
*** Holly Norris, Hayesville – Governor’s Award
for Excellence in Workforce Development, Outstanding Adult
Participant. A divorced mother of seven, this
35-year-old survivor old never gave up. She dropped out of high
school to have her first child at 14, but she got her GED. She
worked as a waitress to help her self-employed husband and put aside
her dream to become a nurse. She was pregnant with her seventh child
when she entered the nursing program at Tri-County Community
College. Despite her son’s serious accident, her personal
illness, a divorce, and financial problems, she eventually finished
the program with honors and is now a registered nurse working in the
operating room at Murphy Medical Center.
*** Jerry Oliver, Piney Creek – Governor’s Award
for Excellence in Workforce Development, Outstanding Adult
Participant. A dislocated worker at the age of 50, Oliver
and his wife, Sudie, found themselves at a crossroads. After
researching career options, he entered Surry Community College
in Nuclear Medicine and she entered Wilkes Community College.
Despite benefits from the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), it became
necessary for Sudie to return to work in order to keep their home
and provide for the family. Jerry continued classes, driving
hundreds of miles to complete clinicals. In May 2005 Jerry graduated
and is now employed by Twin County Community Hospital in Galax,
Virginia.
*** Candinda McCurdy, North Wilkesboro –
Governor’s Award for Excellence in Workforce Development,
Outstanding Youth Participant. This energetic 18-year-old
not only sets her own education goals; she helps others find
success. She enabled her mother to get a two-year degree by taking
care of her younger sister and she also recruited high school
classmates into the WIA program. Those who know her describe her as,
“very bright, motivated and always striving to do her best.”
Candinda exhibit strong leadership skills and dependability. She
graduated from Wilkes Central High School and is working toward an
Associate in Arts degree at Wilkes Community College. She
wants to be a drill sergeant in the United States Army.
*** Dustin Roy, Lumberton – Governor’s Award for
Excellence in Workforce Development, Outstanding Youth Participant.
The incarceration of his father and abandonment by his mother led
Dustin to drop out of school at 16 to care for his younger siblings
and his sister’s two children. Now the adult in the family, he
quickly found a job and learned how to manage money and pay bills.
He soon realized he needed to continue his education. He enrolled in
WIA and the Adult High School at Robeson Community College,
while continuing to work full time. Exhaustion and long hours did
not deter him. He graduated and received a scholarship based on his
high GPA. He plans to pursue an associate degree at Robeson
Community College.
Caleb J. Forbes, Jr. is the Lead Career Consultant at the
Beaufort County JobLink Career Center in Washington. He is the
recipient of the Wayne Daves Award for Outstanding Achievement
in Workforce Development. Forbes has had a sustained,
positive impact on the operations and community visibility of the
Center. Forbes works with adults and dislocated workers that require
new occupational skills. He has been described as a “dedicated
public servant” and “a positive image for workforce development.”
The North Carolina Community College System enrolls almost 800,000
students in 58 comprehensive community colleges. Internationally
recognized for the scope and quality of its programs, the system is
North Carolina's primary provider of workforce preparation and adult
education. For details, visit
www.nccommunitycolleges.edu.
-NCCCS-
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