Discover a Rewarding Way of Life Here at Home
For those in the greater Statesville area considering their options after high school, there are many pathways that lead to success. A traditional college education is an excellent way to land a dream job, but it’s certainly not the only road to the top. College may not be for everyone, but education is, and Statesville and the surrounding area offers students an array of options.
A student’s career path begins early on when they start to discover personal strengths, weaknesses, talents and desires. Iredell-Statesville Schools is dedicated to helping students and their parents explore the career options available to them. The school system is working with many other organizations on the Workforce Development Blueprint, which is an effort to create awareness in both students and the community at large regarding the types of careers available in the area.
The groups involved in the Workforce Development Blueprint are helping produce this magazine in hand. The publication will showcase employees who work at various local companies and will include Snapcodes that link to videos where those employees describe what their jobs are and the training and education that was required. The magazine will be distributed to all students in grades seven through nine.
One resident who has personal experience with the many career path options in the area is business owner Craig Morrow. As an alumnus of Mitchell Community College, and as a person who has changed career paths, Marrow encourages everyone to be open to nontraditional career paths.
“I see the value of getting an education here, getting a community college education here, and going on to university, but at the same time I see kids getting into the technical fields. The thing I really want young people to see is that you need to decide what your life is about and what you can do with the skill set you have” Morrow said.
Mitchell Community College is an excellent choice for those who are looking for flexibility and an institution that is dedicated to building strong relationships in the business world.
Mitchell “strives to meet the needs of employers in Iredell County and beyond, bridging the skills gap and ensuring our students are competitive in a modern and fast-changing workforce,” said Megan Suber, public information officer.
Students at Mitchell Community College have an array of career-path choices. They may choose to complete their general education requirements at Mitchell Community College, then transfer to another institution to complete a four year degree, saving a significant amount of money, or they may choose to begin a career with an Associate in Applied Science degree, diploma, certificate or other short-term training.
The North Carolina Manufacturing Institute offers a national certification in manufacturing.
“The certified production technical course is a fantastic first step for someone to enter manufacturing,” said Deb Lazenby, business services coordinator for North Carolina Manufacturing Institute.
The course introduces students to manufacturing from a variety of perspectives, including maintenance, safety, quality and customer service.
There are more than 300 manufacturing facilities in the area, employing over 23,000 people. North Carolina Manufacturing Institute is a collaboration between multiple organizations and many of the member companies offer tuition reimbursement as well as assistance in choosing a career path, Lazenby said.
Technical jobs are in high demand, and Universal Technical Institute helps students take advantage of that demand. An average of more than 100,000 new transportation technicians will be needed each year for the foreseeable future.
Universal Technical Institute has formed partnerships with industry organizations and employers locally and nationally to make sure that graduates possess the skills that employers want and need.
Jennifer Bergeron, campus president at Universal Technical Institute in Mooresville, NASCAR Technical Institute, said those partnerships lead to excellent student outcomes.
Students who are successful at Universal Technical Institute, and in their subsequent careers, are fully engaged and want to learn.
“They commit to learn the trade through demonstrated hard work, learning from those with experience in the field and being professional at all times,” Bergeron said.
With even greater value as Piedmont HealthCare promotes awareness of healthy habits and lifestyles that contribute to an excellent quality of life.
For more information on career clusters in the state, visit https://nccareers.org/careerguide/index.html