Labor shortages and higher demands for services have prompted community colleges to broaden their efforts to train a growing workforce.

The path to a fulfilling and lucrative career doesn’t necessarily lie through a four-year college degree program – and it might not even require a two-year associate’s degree or a student loan. That’s the message that local community colleges are trying to communicate to the public these days.

 
“The cost of university tuition and housing increases by 50% every 10 to 15 years, which is a higher rate than inflation and family income,” said Greg Bland, vice president for Continuing Education, Economic & Workforce Development at Brunswick Community College. “I don’t see these rising costs changing anytime soon. The average person has $35,000 in student loan debt. This has become a national concern.”
 
The recent labor shortage affecting a cross-section of fields has highlighted the strain industry leaders have warned about for years, from health care to skilled trades.
 
For years, high school counselors have advised students that a four-year college degree is their key to a middle-class, financially secure future, said Jim Morton, president of Cape Fear Community College.
 
“We’re still seeing that,” he said. “So we’re taking a long-term approach because employers are desperate for labor.”
 
That approach means spreading the word early and often that many well-paying careers can be launched with short-term programs at the community college level. Fearing that, for high schoolers and their parents, this message might come too late, Morton and his workforce training staff are targeting middle school students.
 
This summer, CFCC held what officials called Career Academy for students at Williston Middle School and West Pender Middle School, which provided transportation for the students. They were “phenomenal,” according to Erin Easton, CFCC’s workforce training coordinator.
 
“We want (middle schoolers) to have an awareness of what careers are out there. Not everybody understands what viable career paths are in our backyard,” she said. “We had over 200 students from West Pender and Williston. Our short-term and degree programs really opened their eyes and interested them in taking advantage of some programs, even in high school.”
 
Career Academy participants worked directly with instructors, who introduced them to a variety of career options, from phlebotomy and medical tech to building trades. Over the course of the summer program, participants were exposed to 16 or 17 skilled trades, Morton said. 
 
“They were excited and wanted to come back,” he said. “They could imagine themselves doing these things.”
 
CFCC will stay in touch with these students and keep them on track, Morton said.
 
It’s not just young people that the community college wants to attract. Morton is an advocate for Cape Fear’s Pathway Home 2 program. Funded by a $3.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, this program connects people transitioning from prison or jail to job training and support services. The goal is to reduce recidivism and improve employment outcomes for people who have been incarcerated. CFCC’s partner in this program is the Wilmington-based nonprofit LINC Inc., whose mission is to help the formerly incarcerated make successful transitions back into society.
 
In addition to its array of skilled trades training courses that give students the basics but often require further on-the-job training, CFCC offers several apprenticeship programs. 
 
One example is an Electrical Apprenticeship program, which saw its first four participants graduate as journeyman electricians in April. Another 50 participants are in the process of completing the four-year program, which incorporates 8,000 on-the-job training hours and 624 hours of classroom-related instruction, said John Downing, CFCC’s vice president of Economic & Workforce Development. 
 
Between its regular skilled trades curricula and its apprenticeship programs, CFCC can prepare a student for a great variety of careers from truck driving to nursing to plumbing and pipefitting.
 
“We currently have over 100 electrical apprentices that work during the day and go to school at night,” Downing said. “At the same time, we have over 50 electrical students in our degree program. These 50 students have the option to participate in the apprenticeship program as well.
“In the automotive program, we have 23 dealers that are participating employers. Our automotive students will be apprenticed by these 23 dealerships or repair shops. We have pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship (programs) in automotive, electrical, plumbing, lineworker and fire alarm technician. Some of these are new programs just getting started.”
 
An example of a pre-apprenticeship program, which provides the classroom portion of job training, is CFCC’s 10-week electrical lineworker course. 
 
Employers can hire those who complete the course and give them company-specific, hands-on experience. Duke Energy is a major employer of these graduates and benefits from the pre-apprenticeships, Morton said. 
 
“This helps Duke avoid washout from new hires who might be afraid of heights, dislike working outdoors in bad weather or (might) be afraid of wildlife encounters,” he said. “We handle the washout in our program.”
 
Typically, Morton said, 99% of graduates of the lineworker pre-apprenticeship program leave with a job. The program’s incoming class has 47 students.
 
There is plenty of demand for electrical lineworkers and a desire for a diverse workforce, said Duke Energy spokeswoman Logan Kureczka.
 
“This year, Duke will hire 200-300 lineworkers in the Carolinas,” she said. “We have enough to perform the work now but are recruiting for future projects as we build out our smarter grid so we can provide more reliable and resilient service and cleaner energy.”
 
An apprentice lineworker earns at least $45,000 a year, with pay increasing as the worker gains skills and experience. The top classification – journeyman – earns well into six figures, according to Kureczka.
 
“We work with 10 community colleges across North Carolina,” she added. “There is a lot of state and local funding that covers the costs of training.”
 
Other programs also offer financial assistance for students. Brunswick Community College touts its free trades pathways and the credentials they offer, BCC’s Bland said.
 
“Local business owners are continuing to donate scholarships for people that want to join the skilled trades profession,” he said. “These residents, whether they are donating $500 or enrolling (in the courses themselves), have my respect and admiration. Our local economy is built on their work.”
 
Bland pointed out one example: A lucrative career in climate control that results from the dynamic growth of Brunswick County.
 
“Building permits confirm that the population of our county is continuing to grow at a rapid pace. Brunswick County has grown 34% during the last decade and has approximately 89,000 homes,” he said. “The salt air, along with normal wear and tear, creates a steady flow of work and income. In just a few moments, potential students can calculate the cost of labor, the cost of a new HVAC unit and (the number of) our existing homes. The income potential is simply staggering.
 
“Brunswick Community College has continued to award hundreds of industry-recognized (HVAC) credentials so that graduates rise to the top of the hiring process,” Bland added.
This same local growth data, he said, places electrical technicians, lineworkers, plumbers, code enforcement professionals and carpenters in high demand. Often, participants in relevant training programs at BCC can graduate without student debt.
 
“I want young people to understand that they have our support if they decide to avoid that debt,” Bland said. “Every student that wants to earn a community college credential, license or certification should be applauded. These students are helping our workforce and that decision is something to be proud of.”
 
Manufacturers are also expressing their urgent need for trained workers. The Cape Fear Manufacturing Partnership, launched in 2021, has grown to include 38 local employers, according to CFCC’s Easton, who is the group’s convenor.
 
“At the (partnership’s) last quarterly meeting there was a focus on increasing the awareness of high school students and their parents about programs at CFCC and other community colleges,” she said.
 
In response to feedback from the Cape Fear Manufacturing Partnership, CFCC recently created a 12-week introductory course, manufacturing technician, that teaches students about safety, OSHA requirements, lean manufacturing concepts and forklift operation, so they know what to expect as they walk onto the floor of a manufacturing plant for on-the-job-training. Two students from the initial class have been hired, Easton said.
 
Next up at CFCC, she added: a machining application training course, a 12-week program that prepares participants for entry-level machining jobs.
 
Community college support for skilled trades training extends past the classroom and hands-on experience. There also are programs to help those who have learned a trade start their own businesses. Small Business Centers at Brunswick Community College and Cape Fear Community College, headed by April Scott and Jerry Coleman, respectively, offer free courses on every aspect of business ownership and individual counseling to help would-be owners. 
 
“The pathway to small business ownership at Brunswick Community College is free, and it has never been more convenient,” Bland said. “Our small business center director, April Scott, is available at any of our locations, Monday-Friday. We encourage students to schedule time with April at the mid-point of their course experience if they intend to own their own business in the future. Last year, April helped 24 new businesses get started.”