Winston-Salem, NC, Boasts Workforce Training Opportunties
Collaborations between schools, colleges and business keep talent flowing to growing industries.
Workforce development plays a pivotal role in the economic growth of Greater Winston-Salem, NC. Investments in career development by the city’s schools, higher education institutions and business community ensure residents have the necessary knowledge, skills and training to meet the demands of current and emerging industries – and that they’re given opportunities to discover career interests early on.
“Businesses have an opportunity to build talent pipelines with students through internships, apprenticeships and other work-based learning opportunities,” says Terri Cummings, vice president of talent and workforce for Greater Winston- Salem, Inc. “Additionally, businesses connected to the education community have the chance to share knowledge, best practices and innovation to ensure students from K-12 to college are well-equipped with the knowledge and skills needed for in-demand roles in their industry.”
Smart Starts
While there are several higher education options that help students quickly move from learning to a career, the region begins priming students at the K-12 level to start thinking about and preparing for a career.
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS) begins introducing students to career pathways in middle school. Students complete career interest inventories that help prepare them to decide their high school pathways during registration. The district is working on a plan to engage fifth grade students in career exploration.
A career interest inventory, a series of questions that guides students through areas of interest based on their replies, helps the district align interests with the pathways that are offered, says Tricia McManus, superintendent of WS/FCS.
“If there are pathways that WS/FCS does not have in the high schools, students are encouraged to begin courses at Forsyth Tech Community College if they offer the pathway of interest,” she says.
Future Focused
Forsyth Tech Community College provides training for in-demand careers for the region, such as manufacturing, health care, aviation, IT and logistics. The college partners with Greater Winston-Salem, Inc. to recruit businesses to the region, and the school keeps a close eye on local employer needs to ensure that its programs are appropriately preparing the local workforce to meet anticipated demands of skill and growth.
“We work very diligently to make sure that we are creating logical pathways for our students, not just at the community college level, but also at the high school level and even as early as middle school,” says Jennifer Brown Coulombe, vice president of industry partnerships and continuous improvement at Forsyth Tech. “High school training creates a direct pathway into work-based training they get at the community college. Apprenticeships and internships create a relationship between the employers and students early on so that the students’ competencies are built in the workplace, and their theoretical training comes to them from the college, but it’s all in lockstep.”
Healthy Workforce
Greater Winston-Salem, Inc. boasts ASPIRE WS, a program that helps high school juniors and seniors prepare for the workforce. Students who attend participating high schools can enroll in Greater Winston-Salem, Inc.’s Work Ready Credential program, where they learn about things like self-discovery, building a personal brand, conflict management, professionalism and more. Students who complete the program are eligible to interview for paid summer internships with host companies.
Additionally, Novant Health teamed up with Forsyth Tech to offer apprenticeships for magnetic resonance imaging and medical assistants. Forsyth Tech’s MRI apprenticeship is the only registered MRI apprenticeship in North Carolina and is part of Forsyth Tech’s award-winning Learn & Earn Apprenticeship Program.
In 2022, Novant Health launched Bridges to Healthcare, which introduces high school students in underrepresented communities to a wide variety of careers at Novant Health through paid internships and a second phase that supports students through educational assistance.
“Novant Health welcomes all opportunities to collaborate with high schools and colleges to introduce students to successful careers in health care, both in clinical and nonclinical settings,” says Kalin Griffin Bostwick, vice president of Inclusion and Pipeline Programs for Novant Health. “We develop relationships with guidance counselors, provide guest speakers and offer recruiting and job opportunity information for upcoming graduates.”
One of Novant Health’s priorities, Bostwick says, is ensuring it has a diverse and highly skilled pipeline of talent entering its organization and the health care industry overall.
Get to Know Winston-Salem, NC
Want to learn more about living and working in Winston-Salem, NC? Check out the latest edition of Livability Greater Winston-Salem Industry and Community Insights.
