LABOR OF LOVE: Education, economic development and jobs services build the future workforce.

AuthorSaylor, Ten

When the Canada-based Spinrite Services LLC craft-yarn manufacturer announced plans to move its packaging operations from Washington, N.C., to a new facility in Georgia last September, about 30 employees faced moving or losing their jobs.

Eight years ago, Spinrite acquired Caron International Inc., a division of National Spinning Co., which has maintained headquarters in Beaufort County for decades. Some of the 30 affected employees had worked there for decades, too. A team of Beaufort County economic and workforce development professionals stepped in to help keep those people employed.

"We have a list of the employees who are losing their jobs, and some of them have been there for 10, 20 or 30 years," says Martyn Johnson, director of Beaufort County Economic Development. "Their credentials begin and end at their high school diplomas, and the way business and industry [are] starting to skew toward skilled labor needs, they are going to need a higher level of qualifications or certificates to prove they have the skills they need to find a comparable job."

A good resume will help workers demonstrate they have the technical ability to perform at a high level, but for those who have been in the same job for most of their adult lives, keeping resumes polished sounds like a waste of time.

This is a common issue modern employees are facing. The need to retrain, update skills and find new areas of expertise is common as jobs become more technological or move altogether.

Beaufort County is one of five counties that make up the Region Q Workforce Development Board, one of 23 entities across North Carolina funded by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. These organizations help people or businesses access programs that connect talent to jobs.

Region Q deployed a busload of computers to Beaufort County, where Johnson's workforce development team has arranged to help the displaced workers from Spinrite write resumes. The local NCWorks career center will provide services and resources, too.

"We want people to go through our system, and we want them to know there is a huge amount of support here for them," says Sara Watson, director of customized training and apprenticeships at Beaufort County Community College and a member of the county's workforce development team.

Working together

Five years ago, Johnson left a job he held for 25 years with the N.C. Department of Commerce to lead Beaufort County's economic development efforts. As a new resident, he visited businesses and industries to learn their needs and discovered that a skilled workforce was sorely lacking. He formed a coalition of partners to help build a local workforce, aid Beaufort County Community College in helping existing workers improve their skills, and assist NCWorks in advertising jobs and preparing potential workers for hiring.

"Through this coalition, we have been able to provide resources to our businesses and residents and also raise...

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