Equal opportunity: North Carolina's workforce-training programs specialize in meeting the unique needs of its diverse workers and businesses.

• Author: Wood, Suzanne
• Position: SPONSORED SECTION: WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Counting North Carolina's workers is straight-forward. There were 4.7 million of them in September, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce. But describing them, and those who want to join their ranks, is more difficult. There are high-school students with college-worthy grades who would rather work with their hands. There are parents interested in higher-paying advanced-manufacturing jobs but can't invest the time in returning to school. And there are plenty of military veterans who leave the service at one of the state's seven bases but want to stay and work in North Carolina.

The diversity of workers is matched only by the variety of businesses in the Old North State. While that makes a strong economy, finding workers with skills specific to each business is a challenge. The state's numerous workforcedevelopment services are making that easier. Site Selection magazine called them the Southeast's best in 2015 and 2016 because of workforce-development expenditures, percentage of workers with a National Career Readiness Certificate and other factors.

One of the most far-reaching programs is Commerce's NCWorks, which coordinates job recruitment and workforce training through N.C. Community College System, N.C. Department of Public Instruction, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, and local workforce-development boards. "North Carolina has some of the best workforce programs available anywhere in the country, and NCWorks is building a coordinated system of services focused on serving the people and businesses of North Carolina," says Napoleon Wallace, Commerces deputy secretary for rural economic development and workforce solutions.

Switzerland-based Georg Fischer Ltd. and Canada-based Linamar Corp. are partners in GF Linamar LLC. Its light metal die-casting factory in Mills River will produce lightweight power-train, drive-line and other parts for the auto industry starting next summer. The plant is a $271 million investment that will create about 350 jobs over six years. A training effort at Blue Ridge Community College, which has campuses in Henderson and Transylvania counties, will ensure there are candidates to fill those positions.

Southeastern Advanced Molding Technology Education Center, or SAMTEC, in Hendersonville opened in January 2016, less than a year after GF Linamar announced its factory. Shanda Bedoian, Blue Ridge's corporate and customized-training director, says it's the only place in the nation that offers...