Economic and Workforce Development
Continuing Education
Lifelong learning for North Carolinians is an integral
component of the mission of the Community
College System. Through its continuing education programs, the System addresses
the total learning
needs of adults as individual members of society and of the workforce. Continuing
education programs
offer numerous opportunities for specific job training and retraining, education,
and enrichment opportunities.
(www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/Business_and_Industry/Index)
New and Expanding Industry (NEIT)
The New and Expanding Industry Training Program
supports the expansion of existing businesses and
the attraction of new industries to North Carolina. Existing companies train
new employees through this
program. This program is a tremendous incentive to potential employers when
they look at North
Carolina as a significant development site.
Focused Industry Training (FIT)
The Focused Industry Training Program provides
a variety of services for incumbent workers in existing
industries throughout North Carolina. Training focuses on new skills and technologies
that improve
productivity, flexibility and accommodation of new technologies and procedures.
Customized Industry Training (CIT)
The Customized Industry Training Program
adds significant resources for rapid fulfillment of training
needs for both new and incumbent workforces. The service augments the NEIT
and FIT programs and
results in improved productivity, profitability and growth of jobs in North
Carolina.
Workforce Continuing Education
A significant program strategy for meeting the challenge of providing a skilled
workforce is through the
Community College System’s workforce continuing education programs. These
programs are a primary
tool for providing skill development opportunities for North Carolina’s
workforce. Short-term skills
training courses are offered at each of the community colleges state-wide to
train, retrain, and upgrade
individuals, job skills for employability and retention purposes.
Small Business Center Network
The Small Business Center Network consists of a Small Business Center (SBC)
at each of the state’s 58
community colleges. Each SBC provides a wide variety of seminars and workshops,
one-on-one
counseling, a library of resources, and referrals to other sources of help
for current and prospective
business owners and operators. Each SBC helps small businesses within their
service areas survive,
prosper, and contribute to the economic well-being of the local, regional,
and the State of North Carolina.
Human Resources Development (HRD)
The Human Resources Development (HRD) program provides skill assessment services,
employability
skills training, and career development counseling to unemployed and under
employed adults who have
been displaced due to a variety of reasons, to include plant closures.
BioNetwork
BioNetwork connects community colleges across North Carolina, providing
specialized training, curricula
and equipment to develop a worldclass workforce for biomanufacturing, pharmaceutical
manufacturing
and the biotechnology cluster. The primary goals of BioNetwork are:
- Act
as a primary economic development catalyst
- Provide a continuous pipeline of trained new workers
- Give dislocated workers new skills and allow career-changers to
enter biotechnology
- Upgrade skills on incumbent workers
- Position the NCCCS to become the national leader in biotechnology workforce development
Six BioNetwork Centers develop leading edge coursework for BioNetwork
community colleges to meet
this highly regulated industry’s workforce requirements. For information
about the NCCCS BioNetwork
initiative please visit: www.ncbionetwork.org
Community Service Programs
The purpose of the Community Service Programs is to provide lifelong learning
for adults, to meet
customers’ needs and interest, and contribute to the community’s
overall cultural, civic, and intellectual
growth.
