CPCC receives grant to train low-income individualsJennifer Thomas Staff Writer- Charlotte Business Journal
Central Piedmont Community College Central Campus in uptown Charlotte will receive up to $233,333 to retrain low-income workers and help improve their skill sets.
Nancy Pierce
Central Piedmont Community College Central Campus in uptown Charlotte will receive up to $233,333 to retrain low-income workers and help improve their skill sets.
Central Piedmont Community College will receive up to $233,333 to provide training and services for low-income individuals.
The Charlotte community college is among 12 nationwide selected to participate in the Walmart Brighter Futures 2.0 Project. That list includes schools from from Maryland, Ohio, Michigan, Texas, Iowa, Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Washington.
The money is part of a $3.5 million grant from the Walmart Foundation to the League for Innovation in the Community College.
"The Walmart Foundation supports programs that provide people with ways to improve their lives through skills training, job readiness, job placement and support services," says Julie Gehrki, senior director.
She notes that roughly 9,000 workers will gain training through the initiative.
The colleges will develop programs and services to help low-income and low-skill individuals move into middle-skill jobs and become financially self-sufficient.
CPCC is working to align its training to fit the job needs locally.
That includes a focus on STEM -- science, technology, engineering and math -- education.
Individuals will receive a national certification to help with their IT careers. They also will receive career counseling and job acquisition skills such as job search, résumé writing and interviewing techniques.
"This effort underscores part of our mission to improve the condition of working families in our communities through the power of education and training," says Tony Zeiss, CPCC president.
Best practices from the project will be disseminated to community colleges throughout the country.
This is the second round of funding CPCC has received from the Walmart Foundation. In 2009, it received $336,500 to provide training and services for displaced workers.
CPCC is hosting sessions in October to help residents learn more about the project and eligibility requirements. For more information, visit https://www.cpcc.edu/changingcareers/scholarships/brighterfutures/infosessions.
