Retain & Train

Elevate your workforce with our retain & train solutions. Cultivate talent, enhance skills, and boost employee retention for long-term success.

Ready Your Workforce To Excel

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Continuing Education at Mitchell Community College

The Continuing Education division is committed to providing quality educational opportunities to meet the professional, personal, and cultural needs of the community, to serve the adult population with basic education and marketable skills, and to enhance personal development through general and continuing education.

Customized Training at Mitchell Community College

Customized Training Solutions support companies in selecting core and industry-specific content to train their new employees or upgrade the skills of longtime employees. Services range from job profiling to post-hiring training in technical and critical soft skills.

Open Enrollment Courses at Mitchell Community College

Occupational Extension covers many learning opportunities for individuals, groups and organizations. Open enrollment courses are short-term training courses ranging from industry-specific technical skills to leadership, management, and supervision soft skills.

UNC Charlotte Professional Studies

UNC Charlotte Professional Studies offers over 150 courses for organizations to enhance their workforce’s skills and success. Employer Solutions provides an integrated approach combining strategic partnerships, talent acquisition, and talent development strategies to organizations.

Workforce Training Grants

Iredell EDC offers support to companies considering expansion or location within Iredell County. We can help streamline communications by providing you with a one-stop shop approach, managing the questions you have and connecting you with the right partners. We can also help you navigate incentives and grants that are applicable to your project. You can learn more about Iredell EDC’s client services and incentive and grant programs.

Through the North Carolina Community College System, Mitchell Community College offers Customized Training Funds, which support economic development efforts by the State by providing education and training opportunities for eligible businesses and industries. If your organization is creating jobs, investing in new machinery and equipment, or streamlining processes for efficiency, you may qualify. 

Centralina Workforce Development Board offers On-the-Job (OJT) reimbursements. An employer can receive 50% or more wage reimbursements for training of qualified dislocated workers. 

This competitive training grant is offered to employers needing help addressing a skill gap with current employees. The goal of the initiative is to support business growth and strengthen the stability and competitiveness of our regional workforce. It also helps increase the skills of employees, making their  productivity now as well as their marketability in the future.

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit available to employers who hire individuals from eligible target groups who are qualified for positions but face significant barriers to employment. In North Carolina, the Commerce Department’s Division of Workforce Solutions administers WOTC and determines eligibility for the target groups. The tax credit employers can claim depends upon the target group of the individual hired, the wages paid to that individual in the first year of employment, and the number of hours that individual worked. A business can receive $1,200 to $9,600 for each eligible employee.

The Iredell Ready Business Services Team helps our existing industries understand and connect with workforce resources and partners. Led by Iredell County Economic Development Corporation, we provide a one-stop-shop service to connect you with the right workforce partners and programs to help you achieve your hiring goals. We accelerate your access to local, regional, and statewide programs and resources to support your recruit & hire, retain and train, and pipeline development goals.

NCWorks can support local industries with hiring by providing wage and labor information, sourcing job applicants, hosting career fairs, recruiting and staffing services, promoting jobs via the ncworks.gov job board,  apprenticeship and outplacement services, incumbent worker training, talent acquisition and retention strategy development, financial support and grants for training needs, and access to NCWorks.gov and workforce data. There are two NCWorks office locations in Iredell County (Statesville and Mooresville).

Market Data and Trends

Understanding the current labor market, employment trends, occupation trends, current wages, and resources available to support your business are available in Iredell County through a variety of resources. The Iredell EDC and Centralina Workforce Development Board can help you connect with market data you need to make informed decisions about your business.

2030 Employment Projections

The NC Department of Commerce released the 2021-2030 statewide industry and occupational employment projections. Dashboards for industry and occupational data are available at analytics.nccommerce.com.

STAR Jobs 2023

 North Carolina Star Jobs is a new and simplified way to help you identify promising occupations statewide and locally. 1-to 5-stars are assigned based on wages, projected growth rate, and projected job openings. Occupations with 5 stars are considered to have much better career prospects than occupations with fewer stars. 2021 Star Jobs Charlotte Region (nc.gov)

Empowering a Ready Community

Explore our Workforce Services Directory to begin establishing connections with valuable talent pipeline development partners.