The Charlotte/Mecklenburg Area Pathways to Employment Program

Lindsey Embrey, Coordinator
Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte, North Carolina

Central Piedmont Community College has developed an innovative public and private strategic workforce development alliance called the Pathways to Employment Program (Pathways).  Pathways is a partnership of CPCC, the Charlotte Department of Social Services, 12 community businesses, 6 social service agencies and several faith based organizations. The Pathways partners share resources and costs in meeting the educational and employment needs of our rapidly growing population of adults with multiple barriers to educational and occupational opportunity. These barriers include limited English proficiency, low income, low basic or pre-college skills, and no vocational skills.  The program provides students with the occupational skills needed to be successful in today’s workforce and assists in placing them in high demand jobs.

The first step in developing the Pathways program was to conduct focus groups with business and industry partners to establish high-demand occupations and the specific job skills a worker would need to be productive.  Next, CPCC department heads met with the Department of Social Services, the local Workforce Development Board, and business partners to design and develop the programs of study.  The result was a 14 week curriculum that provides 450 hours of instruction in courses that include human resources, basic skills, and specific training to qualify students for employment as medical office administrators, heating and air conditioning technicians, customer service representatives, office information systems specialists, electrical technology and welding technology specialists.

All partners of the Pathways strategic workforce development alliance share the costs of running the program with cash or in-kind contributions.  Student case management and referral services were provided by 10 community social service and faith based partners. The contributions of the 12 business partners included providing employment opportunities, job-site training, Pathways Advisory Committee membership, classroom teaching, curriculum development and financial support.  The College and local YMCA provide the facilities for the program and cover all indirect costs.

The greatest impact of the program has been in changing the lives of our students.  264 students graduate from the program annually (85% of those enrolled) and over 72% find work in their chosen profession within nine months of graduating.  Twelve months after graduation over 25% of our former students continue their pursuit of higher education by enrolling in classes at CPCC!  The Pathways program impacts economic development in our community by (1) annually providing 310 disadvantaged people access to training for high demand careers; (2) providing regional businesses with skilled workers; (3) promoting economic independence which will reduce tax dollars spent on social welfare programs; and (4) facilitating mobility up the career-ladder for all students, even those with multiple barriers to educational and occupational success.

There are two main lessons to keep in mind when trying to replicate a program like Pathways to Employment; these are flexibility and teamwork. In order for the program to be a success, coordinators and instructors from several different departments must come together regularly to meet, plan, and integrate. In order for this to be accomplished, there must be flexibility and teamwork on the part of everyone involved.  This program serves as a model for developing other workforce training, as identified by local employers, for students who need support in entering job training programs that lead to career paths.