RALEIGH -- To promote workforce development and strengthen connections between education and job readiness, Governor Roy Cooper has declared the week of January 28-February 1, 2019 as Career Pathways Week in North Carolina.

During the week, regional NCWorks Career Pathways teams will host workshops across the state aimed at raising awareness among K-12 and community college career counselors and teachers, as well as professionals who serve Vocational Rehabilitation clients and other special populations.

NCWorks partners have developed 35 Certified Career Pathways to help North Carolinians get the education and training needed to work in high-demand, high-wage careers.

“To keep North Carolina growing, we must keep developing our talented workforce so people are ready for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” Gov. Cooper said. “Career Pathways guide job seekers to the education and training they need to gain the skills employers value.”

NCWorks Certified Career Pathways support Gov. Cooper’s NC Job Ready workforce initiative, which is built on three core principles: skills and education attainment so North Carolinians are ready for jobs available now and in the future, employer leadership to remain relevant to evolving industry needs, and local innovation to take great ideas and apply them statewide.

Career Pathways are designed by employers in collaboration with the state’s workforce development and education professionals. They outline and define the following:
•    Necessary courses at the high school and college level;
•    Required credentials;
•    Experience required and the employers in a given area who provide work-based learning activities related to that field; and
•    Various certificates and degrees in the field.
Pathways are designed to match worker preparation to employer need. Eight of these regional pathways were certified by the NCWorks Commission in 2018 alone, in fields ranging from construction to health care. The state’s 23 local workforce development boards take leading roles in the process of creating and implementing pathways that strengthen talent pipelines. More information is available at nccertifiedcareerpathways.com.

Career Pathways workshops will be held across the state at the dates and locations below.