Governor Cooper Honors Excellence in Workforce Development

Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced the winners of the Governor’s NCWorks Awards of Distinction. A youth internship program, two manufacturers, and five individual North Carolinians are being honored for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions related to workforce development. Award recipients were honored on Nov. 13, during a ceremony held in conjunction with the quarterly meeting of the NCWorks Commission, the state workforce development board, at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory.

“These honorees and their many accomplishments are reflective of North Carolina’s world-class workforce and development efforts, amazing educational institutions, and strong business climate,” Governor Cooper said. “They’re well deserving of these awards and I’m grateful for their dedication to making our state a place in which everyone can succeed.”

The Governor’s NCWorks Awards of Distinction honor outstanding examples from the state’s workforce development system - including the students and jobseekers who receive training, the professionals who provide career services, and the employers and other organizations that support a skilled workforce. Honorees are typically recognized at the annual NCWorks Partnership Conference, which this year was abbreviated due to the disruptions of Hurricane Helene.

This year’s award recipients included:
 

• “OPT-IN” Internship Program of Burke County: Outstanding Innovative Partnership. The Opportunity Internship (“OPT-IN”) Program began as a collaborative venture among Western Piedmont Community College, Work in Burke and Burke County Public Schools to address the concerning number of “opportunity youth” –defined as young people who are neither working nor attending school – in the Burke County area. Since its inception, this partnership has contributed to a 7% reduction in local opportunity youth. OPT-IN works with local employers to develop paid summer internships for young adults, allowing them to explore various career fields. Internships are complemented by classroom instruction focused on financial literacy, critical thinking skills, employer expectations, and providing an industry-recognized credential, such as OSHA-10 and CPR/First Aid. In the program’s first year, 15 young adults completed the program, with 9 employer sponsors. During the 2023-2024 year, the program grew to 32 participants and 17 employers, while adding a targeted internship for construction trades to meet local demand. The partners plan to enlist interns who have completed the program to recruit new interns from the local high schools, helping a new generation of workers find a way forward to success.
• Blum, Inc., of Stanley: Outstanding Employer. Among the top employers in the Lincoln County area, Blum manufactures products such as drawer runners, hinges and lift systems, and has been active in the community since 1972. Blum emphasizes investing in the workforce through community partnerships, apprenticeships, On-the-Job Training, and external training through providers such as Gaston College. In 1995, Blum and other area employers launched Apprenticeship 2000 in partnership with Central Piedmont Community College, and some of the original apprentices from that program are still employed at the company today. As of earlier this year, 143 apprentices have completed this program with Blum. Apprentices earn a degree in mechatronics at Central Piedmont and are guaranteed jobs after graduation. The company is also involved in the local community through a variety of charitable endeavors, promotes manufacturing career awareness with local schools, and has partnered with the NCWorks Career Center – Lincoln on the Lincoln Opportunity Fair.
• Loba-Wakol, LLC, of Wadesboro: Outstanding Family-Friendly Employer. The North American subsidiary of a German company, Loba-Wakol manufactures adhesives and other products for the flooring, upholstery, mattress and metal packaging industries. The company emphasizes recognizing and celebrating their employees – including annual outings to which employees’ families are also invited – while also providing on-site recreational amenities, flexible work schedules, training and tuition reimbursement. This employer has even offered a workspace for team members’ children who are in virtual schooling. It is this employee and family focus that makes Loba-Wakol an excellent place to be every workday. The company has also welcomed local school groups for tours, created student internship opportunities, and partnered with the NCWorks Career Center in Anson County. Loba-Wakol is active in the community, supporting charitable causes and events with the Anson Chamber of Commerce, Anson Rotary Club, Anson County Partnership for Children, and the local Angel Tree.
• Jason Walker of Vilas: Outstanding Adult. In October 2023, Walker visited the NCWorks Career Center – Watauga County to discuss employment services, sharing that his own experience in recovery had given him a passion to help others facing similar challenges. He expressed interest in becoming a Peer Support Specialist. NCWorks enrolled Walker in a work-based learning opportunity that allowed him to gain experience at High Country Community Health (HCCH). Walker also received transportation assistance from the NCWorks Substance Use Disorder Recovery Grant, which the North Carolina Division of Workforce Solutions had awarded to High Country Workforce Development Board with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Walker completed his Peer Support Specialist Certification training in December 2023 and immediately contacted his NCWorks career advisors and thanked them for helping him meet one of his major goals. Next, Walker intends to become a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist, and eventually start his own peer support agency and make an even bigger impact in his community.
• Lyric Brown of Gastonia: Outstanding Young Adult. Brown has excelled as a high school student while also completing a community college degree, participating in community service projects, serving as senior class president at school, playing multiple sports and working at a part-time job at a local supermarket. Through the Career and College Promise program at Gaston College, Brown earned credits that transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she is now a first-year student. She also earned a certificate in Foundations of Biotechnology at Gaston College. Her aspirations are to complete a Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree, become a physical therapist, and to own her own business as a strength and conditioning coach. As a student-athlete, she has been a physical therapy patient and feels confident this is a career she wants to pursue. She has also job-shadowed physical therapist assistants and achieved health sciences certifications through Central Piedmont Community College.
• Sarah Campo of Monroe: Outstanding Teen. Even before she has graduated from high school, Campo has already made a mark in the workforce as a senior park associate with Union County Parks and Recreation, and as a local volunteer. She has demonstrated exceptional commitment and leadership, showcasing her passion for community service and environmental conservation. Campo has served on the City of Monroe’s Youth Council and participated in a downtown beautification project, in which the Youth Council helped create an art bridge installation. She has gained workforce experience by volunteering with Mission Monroe's Scattered Site Rehab Program in the summer of 2023. She recruited other teens and participated in work on the rehabilitation of a house to benefit homeless children. Campo is on target to complete her high school education a year early, and through the Career and College Promise program at South Piedmont Community College, she has started working toward an associate degree in Engineering.
• Cynthia “Cindy” Holloman of Wilkes County: Wayne Daves Award for Outstanding Achievement in Workforce Development. Holloman recently retired after five years of service with the North Carolina Division of Workforce Solutions. As a career advisor based at the NCWorks Career Center in North Wilkesboro, she served as an essential customer-facing representative of NCWorks and the larger workforce system. She used her wealth of knowledge regarding local employment and career development resources to connect jobseekers to opportunities. In addition, she provided employers with services to assist them in meeting their workforce needs, leveraging her own experience as a former small business owner. Holloman enthusiastically embraced her role as the primary provider of reentry services in her career center, forged community partnerships, and served as one of the first local NCWorks Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training facilitators. She was known for her attentiveness to each customer, helping numerous jobseekers achieve their goals and overcome barriers to employment.
• Brian Holland of Cary: Bill Ragland Private Sector Award for Outstanding Achievement in Workforce Development. Holland, the general counsel of Sectigo, is a longtime member of Capital Area Workforce Development Board and currently serves as board chair. He has taken an active role in representing the board and in advocating for the workforce development system at the local, state and national levels. While serving on the board’s Branding/Outreach committee in 2022, Holland helped develop Capital Area's Business Ambassador Program. The program engages business leaders to create awareness about workforce services, deliver informational content to business audiences, and increase the number of business customers that Capital Area serves. As an attorney, he is also working with the Capital Area Workforce Development Reentry department to provide pro bono services for returning citizens, and to connect with other attorneys. Under his leadership, Capital Area has won two national awards, the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) WIOA Trailblazer Award and the Laurie Moran Partnership Award.

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This is a WIOA Title I program/project, which is 100 percent supported by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor as part of an award to North Carolina totaling $73,905,487.