Workforce
Training
Whether you’re looking for a new career or want to build upon the skills you already have to strengthen your expertise, Iredell Ready can help you navigate workforce training programs.
Acquire the Skills Needed to Achieve Your Career Goals
Through our Workforce Development programs, gain the essential skills required to reach your career aspirations. In collaboration with the Centralina Workforce Development Board and NCWorks, our initiatives are designed to empower both businesses and workers, positioning them as strong contenders in the ever-expanding and changing global economy.
NCWorks Career Center Services
Centralina Workforce Development Board and NCWorks Career Centers are committed to partnerships that help our region’s businesses and workers become a competitive force in our global economy. NCWorks works with a wide variety of residents and job seekers to assess their skills and get them job-ready. They also work with businesses to support their hiring and training needs through a variety of programs including Apprenticeships, On-the-Job Training, UpSkills Grants, Incumbent worker training, as well as recruitment and retention development.
Our Job Board page links to NCWorks Online, which is a job search website that provides businesses with a central location to post open jobs or to search for candidates to fill openings based on their skills, work experience, and resumes.
Centralina Workforce Development
For an overview of the program, visit the Centralina Workforce Development Board website.
ACT WorkKeys & Career Readiness
Iredell County is a certified Work Ready Community. 156 employers in Iredell County recognize or recommend the ACT WorkKeys NCRC. WorkKeys test measures “real world” skills that are critical to job success. These skills are essential to any occupation, skilled or professional, at any level of education and industry. CTE Completers take the following three WorkKeys tests.
- Workplace Documents
- Applied Mathematics
- Graphic Literacy
The NCWorks Career Center works with individuals to help them to understand and achieve WorkKeys to earn a State Career Readiness Certificate (CRC), as well as a National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC). CRCs and NCRCs are awarded at four levels: bronze, silver, gold and platinum. To learn more about WorkKeys, please contact the NCWorks in Statesville 704-878-4241 or NCWorks Mooresville 704-360-8067.
Mitchell Community College Continuing Education
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.
NC Manufacturing Institute
The North Carolina Manufacturing Institute (NCMI) is specially designed to link and leverage the existing assets and industries in Rowan, Cabarrus, and Iredell counties to solve a growing gap between regional job seekers and available positions. The program provides enrolled participants with a certified production technician certification and matches them with participating local manufacturing firms that have job openings.
NASCAR Technical Institute
The training programs at Universal Technical Institute teach the fundamental, in-demand skills students take with them into the workforce. Whether it’s automotive, diesel, motorcycle, motorsports, marine, welding, collision repair, CNC machining, aviation maintenance, energy, wind energy, robotics and automation, non-destructive testing, or HVACR, UTI’s programs teach their students the skills employers look for when hiring the next generation. NASCAR Technical Institute partners with the industries they serve to develop relevant curricula and certificates needed for those industries. The Mooresville campus is 146,000 square feet and has 1,200 graduates annually.
Receive paid on-the-job training with Experiential Learning
An apprenticeship is employer-driven. An apprentice is an employee of the company. An apprenticeship is a mutually beneficial partnership between an employer and individual. The employer creates a work training and wage progression opportunity for an individual to earn as they learn, ultimately leading to a full-time job. An apprenticeship can be one year to four years, based on the training required by the employer.
(18 years old or older) The mission of ApprenticeshipNC is to ensure North Carolina has an innovative, relevant, effective, and efficient workforce development system that develops adaptable, work ready, skilled talent to meet the current and future needs of workers and businesses to achieve and sustain economic prosperity. There are many types of apprenticeships programs of various duration, level of required technical education, and level of employer investment. Depending on their design, these programs may be more attractive to specific demographics, including an employer’s existing workforce, veterans, high school, or college students.
Apprenticeship Iredell is a partnership between local industries and Mitchell Community College with a common goal of ensuring demand is met for highly skilled workers in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and math. The program marries on-the-job training with classroom instruction, allowing participants to earn as they learn. Through Apprenticeship Iredell, apprentices are hired by an industry partner and receive paid on-the-job training while attending Mitchell to earn a selected associate in applied science. As apprentices master skills there is a set wage increase. At the end of the program, the apprentice earns state and federal certifications as a journey worker, along with the industry-recognized degree from the college.
Today’s high-tech manufacturing requires companies to have a well trained and highly skilled workforce. Apprenticeship 2000 was developed in 1995 to create a skilled workforce in the Charlotte, NC area. Our partner companies provide jobs by training apprentices for skilled trades and, in return, gain the skilled workforce needed to operate their high-tech businesses. Apprenticeship 2000 is a 4-year technical training program designed to develop people for highly skilled technical trades such as machinists, tool and die makers, mechatronics technicians, mold makers, and electricians. The program is geared towards highly motivated juniors and seniors from surrounding high schools. Students who qualify for Apprenticeship 2000 train for exciting technical careers with excellent pay and benefits!
(Ages 16 – 18 years old) A pre-apprenticeship is beneficial to both students and the companies. Pre-apprenticeship is on-the-job learning where students can explore career options. Most are paid, and students can earn one high school credit. Additionally, students can qualify to receive college tuition waivers that cover both registration fees and tuition by the state. The pre-apprenticeship program also opens doors to an adult apprenticeship and provides preferential job placement. Students can also earn nationally recognized and stackable credentials.
Internships provide Juniors and Seniors with an opportunity to participate in work-based learning experiences where they can participate in the daily operations of a worksite under the direct supervision of a business mentor. Internships provide a realistic environment within which a student intern learns about a particular industry or occupation and applies the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom. Ideally, the work experience should contribute to the student’s career pathway by helping the student to narrow their career choices. The program primarily targets seniors, making them eligible for one high school credit with 135 hours of work-related experience. To be eligible for an internship, students have to complete, or be enrolled in, a second level course in a CTE career pathway. For seniors, the school schedule can be worked around internship placement so the student can intern during the school day. Internships can be paid or unpaid, but some are tied to an industry credential, while others may turn into regular employment.
Job shadowing is an experience where a job seeker or student follows and observes a professional throughout their workday. It is a great opportunity to test your compatibility with a career and make professional connections. For more information contact your school Career Development Coordinator.