www.goldenleaf.org
Training institutions are manufacturing aerospace workers
Golden LEAF providing critical resources to help meet industry demands
Through its Golden LEAF Opportunities for Work in Aerospace Manufacturing (GLOW-AM) initiative, the Golden LEAF Foundation Board of Directors has awarded over $4.4 million to address some of North Carolina's urgent workforce needs in the aerospace industry.
According to a Golden LEAF-funded statewide workforce needs assessment for the emerging aerospace industry in North Carolina, companies surveyed anticipate employment needs for 2,500 new positions in the next three years. Engineers, mostly with bachelor's degrees and two to four years of experience, make up a little over a fifth of these positions. The greatest need for workers was found to be for production technicians. Businesses are also planning to hire hundreds of assemblers, machine operators, and mechanics over the same time frame, according to the assessment.
In response to these and other findings, the Foundation created the GLOW-AM initiative to connect the aerospace industry's workforce needs with targeted training programs and invited proposals from training providers that address the workforce development challenges identified in the report. The projects funded in the Initiative are designed to strengthen training capacities in regions of the state that have high concentrations of aerospace manufacturing companies and maintenance, repair and overhaul operations.
Pictured are high school students touring Lenoir Community College's mobile machining lab.
One project awarded under Golden LEAF's GLOW intiative was the Lenoir Community College's (LCC) "LCC Aerospace Advanced Machining Center" project. The goals of this project are to assist LCC with developing an Aerostructure Manufacturing and Repair Technology Program and enhance training capabilities for employment opportunities at Spirit AeroSystems and other composite and advanced manufacturing industries in the area. Spirit AeroSystems will be creating 1,000 jobs in eastern North Carolina over the next five years. A portion of the GLOW-AM grant will be used for a part-time instructional position, provide softwared training essential to meet manufacturing requirements and to support the mobile machining lab to help deliver a more consistent outreach program to area schools.
"The manufacturing and repair of composite aerostructures require additional training needs to ensure the stringent quality standards needed by the aerostructure industry are being met," said Dr. Brantley Briley, president of LCC. "The expense associated with implementing these programs can be cost prohibitive for community colleges, and aerospace programs are among the most expensive. Without our partnership with the Golden LEAF Foundation, it would be extremely difficult to meet the needs of companies such as Spirit AeroSystems."
Golden LEAF is also providing critical resources to the College of the Albemarle (COA) to implement training activities targeting jobs in local aerospace companies. Funds will be used to expand and fully implement the Aviation Sheet Metal Worker Training Program and develop training modules in the following disciplines: avionics, mechanical, electrical, electronics, sheet metal and composites.
PIctured are students from the College of the Albemarle working on a sheet metal project. This highly sought after training has a waiting list of up to 150 students.
These modules will form an initial foundation that will lead to full implementation of an FAA Certified Airframe and Power Plant Training program in the future. Area industry estimates that job requirements for the next 4 years will exceed 700 positions. Currently, the college and region are unable to meet the demand for skilled workers for this industry. Funds will allow the college to establish new and improve the quality of existing training programs over the next two years to meet industry growth.
"Golden LEAF grant funds are providing the financial support COA needs to help meet the workforce needs of our expanding aviation industry," said Lynne Bunch, President of College of the Albemarle. "This training is providing the skills update that is putting our citizens who have lost their jobs in manufacturing back to work in a new field."
Through GLOW-AM the Foundation has provided 7 institutions and their partners with the necessary funding to build programs that will foster the pipeline of workers needed to satisfy the current and future aerospace industry needs in the labor markets they serve. The growth of the industry will help the build the struggling economy and provide North Carolinians with highly sought after skills that will reward them with high paying, quality jobs. |
Vocational Association creating hundreds of jobs in western NC
Successes leading to expansion projects
As employment across North Carolina continues to be unstable, a regional workforce group has found a way to join forces to combat current trends. Since 2003, Golden LEAF has supported several projects through and under the Marketing Association for Rehabilitation Centers, Inc. (MARC) umbrella that have created over 572 jobs in western North Carolina.
MARC serves 21 counties in western North Carolina and combines the services of a 14-member consortium of vocational rehabilitation centers to win job contracts for people with disabilities, as well as dislocated and underemployed individuals.
Pictured are workers from Watauga Opportunities, Inc. assembling and packaging cell scrapers used to take bacteria growth samples and capping sample collection tubes.
"We remain grateful for the support of the Golden LEAF Foundation and believe that MARC has invested Golden LEAF support well across an entire region of North Carolina," said Noel Watts, Executive Director and CEO of MARC, Inc. "Golden LEAF shares ownership with MARC for all of the successes achieved: each new job, each job saved, and a strong platform from which we will continue to grow."
These programs have been so successful that currently Watauga Opportunities, Inc. in Boone, Haywood Vocational Opportunities, Inc. in Hazelwood and Industrial Opportunities, Inc. in Andrews are expanding their facilities to accommodate growth from new contracts that will produce a combined total of 160 new employees. Workers will be producing medical supplies for various agencies and body armor for the Department of Defense.
Pictured is the Watauga Opportunties, Inc. expansion project under construction. The building project is expected to be completed by late February 2010.
These new employees will be earning a combined average wage of almost $11 per hour and receiving a full range of benefits. Over half of these jobs are targeted for persons with disabilities or other barriers to employment. According to the MARC website, an economic impact study conducted by Western Carolina University showed the region served by MARC enjoys a 50.1% higher employment rate among people with disabilities than the national average.
Since 2003, Golden LEAF has awarded MARC and its organizations 8 grants totaling over $1.8 million with the commitment to create or retain 572 jobs in western North Carolina. To date, the projects have created or retained 576 jobs. Three of the eight projects received awards in 2009. When those three projects meet projected goals of 160 additional jobs, MARC will have exceed its total job creation target by almost 40%. |
Program prepares students for science- and technology-related careers
Caldwell students, community collaborating
As Caldwell County citizens worked through the Golden LEAF Community Assistance Initiative process, they targeted education as one of their top priorities.
Fortunately for the students in Caldwell County, the school system had already implemented a small, yet successful, pilot program called Project Lead The Way (PLTW) at one of the county's middle schools and wanted to expand the program throughout all its middle grades.
According to Caldwell County Schools Associate Superintendent, Dr. Caryl Burns, "Golden LEAF provided Caldwell County Schools with the right funding at the right time. It might have taken us ten years to implement Project Lead The Way in all Caldwell County Schools' middle grades without Golden LEAF's help. You can see the excitement and energy in our schools through both the students and the teachers."
Pictured are students from Caldwell County Schools working on a PLTW project. PLTW is about teaching and learning through a hands-on project and problem-based approach that adds rigor to traditional technical programs and relevance to traditional academics.
The objective of PLTW for Caldwell County Schools was to build core science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills to increase awareness and interest in technology and related careers and to develop globally competitive students and 21st century professionals. The program requires rigorous training for its teachers and, through a hands-on curriculum, encourages the development of problem-solving skills, critical thinking, creative and innovative reasoning, and a love of learning in students.
A recent evaluation of the program showed that the students at the PLTW schools demonstrated improved scores in reading and mathematics by over 10%.
Pictured are 8th grade students learning about electricity through PLTW's "The Magic of Electrons" module.
According to Burns, other partnerships are forming due to the increase in STEM-focused learning at Caldwell County Schools. The excitement from PLTW is being carried through the middle school programs into the high schools and out into the community at large.
Representatives from Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute and Caldwell County Schools, along with several employers from the community, formed a STEM committee to discuss how these institutions can work together to help raise both achievement and interest in science. An industry partner, Greer Labs, has set up a Caldwell Science Institute (CSI) to work with teachers and students through a working laboratory and learning center. The plan is to attract more employers to join CSI through efforts spearheaded by the local Chamber of Commerce. These industry partners will serve as mentors for the teachers at the college and county schools and provide internship opportunities for the students. |
Questions about Golden LEAF?
Please contact Mark Sorrells at msorrells@goldenleaf.org.
Comments or feedback about our newsletter?
Please contact Jenny Tinklepaugh at jtinklepaugh@goldenleaf.org.
© 2010 Golden LEAF Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. |
Message from the President
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 Even in the coldest of winters, we hope and know that spring will come. We prepare in the winter for the seasons of growth. That's what we need to do with the bitter economy as well -- prepare for recovery.
In our most economically distressed counties, local citizens continue to emphasize education and training as priorities to move the needle in our Community Assistance Initiative. Read about how Project Lead the Way in Caldwell County is providing successes for the students and collaboration in the community. Golden LEAF provided grant money to help the State assemble its historic Race to the Top application, which could result in over $470 million in federal money to transform our schools. See the press release here.
Businesses have been quite plain with us about the skills successful workers need. We provided $4.4 million for grants from Monroe to the Triad to New Bern to Elizabeth City to build the interest and capacity of young people from middle schools to upper-level engineering classes to build our aerospace cluster. When companies are ready to expand, our state will be ready to provide the workers.
Speaking of workers, Golden LEAF has provided over 5,700 North Carolinians with scholarships to our institutions of higher education. Our scholars are 1/3 more likely than average to graduate.
We can't just try to do new things. We have to figure out how to do things that we have always done better. Agriculture is a source of great pride for us, and programs Golden LEAF has supported like Got to Be NC and the Foundation's initiative emphasizing local foods will help farmers, restaurants, stores, and consumers.
But even in these tough times, there are still bright spots. Golden LEAF grants to MARC centers in Watauga, Haywood, and Cherokee counties have helped them win contracts from our armed forces and from health care providers. These centers employ the disabled, dislocated and underemployed that would otherwise have to rely on government assistance.
Yes, the economy will recover. We must act now for North Carolina to be ready.
Thank you for your support of the Foundation and its work.
Dan Gerlach can be contacted by e-mail at dgerlach@goldenleaf.org. |
Ag Department focuses on NC farm fresh produce
Grant providing instant access to locating over 1300 farmers |
Thanks in part to a Golden LEAF grant and the information age, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is making it as easy as a click of a button to find farm fresh produce throughout the state. The NCFarmFresh website provides an online directory of over 1300 farmers and local produce vendors statewide.
On the site, you can find information about the seasonal availability of fresh produce through a chart that plots the produce by month or sign up to receive a monthly e-newsletter with information about what's in season. You can search farms and roadside stands by product, county or region; find a farmers' market by county or name; or locate nurseries and garden centers by product, county or region.
"One of the biggest trends right now in the food industry is the desire of consumers to buy locally grown fruits, vegetables and meat products," said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. "The grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation will help educate consumers through the NCFarmFresh.com website about the availability of local products. We fully expect this to translate into more business opportunities for farmers in the future, and we appreciate the support of Golden LEAF."
According to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services website, agriculture and agribusiness represent the state's number one industry, generating more than $70 billion for the economy.
North Carolina farmers are being added to the directory all the time. If you would like to be a part of the North Carolina produce to the Farm Fresh website, call (919) 733-7887 and ask for Kim Decker or Shirley Nicholson.
Since 2005, Golden LEAF has supported the Got to Be NC initiative of the Department of Agriculture through 4 grants totaling over $900,000 to help promote North Carolina producers through marketing and expanding opportunities for sales.
Soon, the Golden LEAF Foundation will be announcing grants through its Local Foods Initiative. Funding will be awarded to improve and expand farmers' access to commercial, institutional, and retail markets that are increasing their use of local foods. |
Golden LEAF scholarships available
Foundation dedicated to helping North Carolinians attend college |
Golden LEAF has dedicated a portion of its resources each year to building a well-educated workforce through institutions of higher education.
Since 1999, the Foundation has awarded scholarships totaling over $14.8 million to 5,729 students attending schools in the University of North Carolina system, the North Carolina Community College system and the North Carolina Independent Colleges.
"As increasing numbers of students turn to NC Community Colleges, the scholarships that the Golden LEAF Foundation provides are essential," says Dr. Scott Ralls, President of the North Carolina Community College System. "These funds help the displaced worker who is looking for a new skill set in order to embark on a new career, and the student just out of high school who is building the foundation of higher education. Many community college students have responsibilities beyond their education, and the funds provided through Golden LEAF scholarships allow them to pursue their studies while taking care of other financial obligations."
Funds are awarded to students who live in rural North Carolina counties that are tobacco-dependent and/or economically distressed and demonstrate financial need. Click here to find out if you are a resident of one of the 78 counties that qualify for Golden LEAF scholarships.
"Golden LEAF is dedicated to building the talent, knowledge and skill of North Carolinians," said Dan Gerlach, Golden LEAF President. "Preparing our young people to compete in a 21st century global economy is part of the overall package it takes to attract jobs to our state."
Each grantee -- UNC, NCCCS, and NCICU systems -- handles the awarding and distribution of Golden LEAF scholarships to their respective students.
To learn more about how to apply for a Golden LEAF scholarship, visit www.goldenleaf.org/scholarships.
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| Upcoming Events |
Grant Programs:
Open Grants Program
Economic Catalyst
Open Door Policy:
Call our office to discuss project ideas at 888.684.8404 or e-mail
programs@goldenleaf.org.
Community Assistance Initiative
Burke County
Community Assistance Initiative - Proposal Ideas
Date/Time:
Feb. 1, 2010, 5 pm
As part of Golden LEAF's Community Assistance Initiative (CAI) process in Burke County, the Foundation is now accepting proposal ideas that directly address the key issues and desired outcomes agreed to over a series of community meetings.
To be considered, project ideas must be submitted using a proposal form specific to Burke County and must be received at the Golden LEAF offices no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, February 1, 2010. Proposals received on forms for other Golden LEAF grant cycles will not be considered through the CAI process.
Contact for Information/ Forms:
Courtney Mills
cmills@goldenleaf.org
or
Pat Cabe
pcabe@goldenleaf.org
888-684-8404
Burke County
Community Assistance Initiative - Community Forum
Date/Time:
Feb. 10, 2010, 5 pm
To receive feedback on all project ideas submitted as a part of the Golden LEAF Foundation's Community Assistance Initiative. The meeting will also include discussion about a process for prioritizing projects.
Contact for Information/ Forms:
Courtney Mills
cmills@goldenleaf.org
or
Pat Cabe
pcabe@goldenleaf.org
888-684-8404 |
About the Golden
LEAF Foundation |
Established in 1999, the Golden LEAF Foundation was created to manage one-half of North Carolina's share of funds from the Master Settlement Agreement with tobacco companies.
Golden LEAF supports tobacco-dependent, economically distressed and/ or rural communities working to transition to more prosperous and stable economies.
Golden LEAF focuses grantsmaking in three areas: agriculture, job creation and retention, and workforce preparedness -- supplemented by other opportunities to support and develop economic strength in tobacco-dependent, economically distressed and rural communities.
The Foundation has awarded 858 grants totaling more than $404 million since its inception. To learn more about Golden LEAF or to apply for a grant, visit www.goldenleaf.org. |
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