McCrory administration launches workforce development plan

The News & Observer posted this article on April 14th:

Gov. Pat McCrory and Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker announced the launch of a new workforce development initiative at a Caterpillar facility in Sanford Monday.

The initiative, NCWorks, is a portal designed to connect businesses in the state with the employees they are seeking. Will Collins will be executive director of NCWorks, a position that is designed to better coordinate the needs of employers with community colleges in the state.

The NCWorks plan is expected to be developed over the next 12 months. In a press release, the McCrory administration said the aim is to get a flow of timely data from industry to learn what workforce training programs are most effective.

A spokesman for the governor wasn’t able to immediately say how much is being spent on the initiative.

Also in attendance at Monday’s event in Sanford were Scott Ralls, president of the North Carolina Community College System, and Korey Coon, human resources manager at Caterpillar and chair of the state’s Commission on Workforce Development.

Caterpillar employs several thousand workers in North Carolina at a half-dozen locations, including sites in Clayton and Winston-Salem.