North Carolina Department of Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders today led a celebration of the new NCWorks Mobile Career Center, on the completion of its first year of service. The mobile unit can bring accessible workforce development services to North Carolina jobseekers and employers anywhere in the state.
“Led by our First in Talent Plan, we are emphasizing North Carolina’s workforce as key to our economic development success, because our greatest asset is our people,” Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders said, during a program at the central office of the Commerce department’s Division of Workforce Solutions, where the unit is based. “When this mobile unit drives up anywhere in North Carolina, it is a symbol of our commitment to reach out and serve our people and our businesses - connecting talent to jobs, in both urban and rural areas.”
“We are fortunate to be able to offer the NCWorks Mobile Career Center as a tool to support jobseekers, employers and communities,” said Chet Mottershead, the N.C. Commerce Assistant Secretary for Workforce Solutions. “Working in close coordination with partners including North Carolina’s 20 local Workforce Development Boards, we are proud to help our customers in a variety of ways, through the mobile unit, brick-and-mortar locations and online.”
North Carolina’s workforce partners use the Mobile Career Center, also known as the NCWorks Mobile Unit, to help people find jobs and connect to employers who are hiring. The R.V.-type unit can be deployed to provide help during career fairs and workshops, special events for veterans, and as part of Rapid Response efforts when communities face significant layoffs or closures.
Inside this unit, jobseekers gain access to services that are similar to those found in a traditional NCWorks Career Center, such as career counseling, resume preparation, internet access and help using the NCWorks.gov site. Replacing a previous mobile workforce unit that originally launched in 2006, the new model provides enhanced technology, comfort and room for customers, including space for private interviews.
In its first year, the new NCWorks Mobile Career Center has been dispatched to 30 different counties and 37 communities across North Carolina, logging more than 14,000 miles on the road.
The mobile unit supports and complements the network of 80+ NCWorks Career Centers across the state - helping jobseekers get back to work and prepare for opportunities in growing career fields, while also helping employers find the qualified talent they need to make their businesses thrive. NCWorks also offers special programs for veterans, young adults, migrant/seasonal farm workers, and the justice-involved.
To request the mobile unit to serve your community or your event, contact your local Workforce Development Board or NCWorks Career Center. Contact information is available at NCWorks.gov.
###
This is a WIOA Title I program/project, which is supported by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor as part of an annual award to North Carolina totaling $68,687,004, with 0% financed from non-governmental sources.