AG 2007 05 21 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I. Conditions within the County It is estimated by the US Census Bureau that Cabarrus County had a population of 150,244 in 2005. This is an increase of 14.6% from 2000, which is a much higher growth rate than the statewide average of 7.9% for the same period. The current reality for low- income families in Cabarrus County is that, if at all possible, they need to upgrade their education to meet the growing demand for a more skilled workforce that is coming to this region. Without better skills, low-income families will not be able to pull themselves up to compete with the rest of the workforce, and will remain in lower paying jobs. This is particularly true in Cabarrus County, where North Carolina Research Campus is rapidly taking shape in Kannapolis. The old textile manufacturing industry has been quickly replaced by higher skilled jobs, which will require high school and technical education. The local community college, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, has taken a lead in developing curriculum to support this. Employment Security Commission Labor Market data shows that Cabarrus County exceeds the rest of the Centralina region in professional, technical, managerial, and clerical jobs. Centralina Workforce Development Board statistics show that the top nine employers in Cabarrus County employ only 24% of their workers in manufacturing related jobs. This represents a dramatic shift in our workforce, and reflects a need, not only for parents to be educated and trained in job skills, but also their children, who will be the next group to take advantage of these increasingly complex and skilled jobs. The job set before us is to meet the legislative requirement for Work First, while at the same time, prepare parents to support their children through better education, skilled training, and employment support. As of August 1, 2006, the Work First population in Cabarrus County was 315, with 264 of these being child-only cases. The adult caseload totaled 51, and 27 of these were able- bodied adults. These numbers have been gradually increasing due to the inability to locate jobs for them, as well as the inability to divert families from Work First due to a day care waiting list exceeding 800. This waiting list has been in effect since August 2005. II. Planning Process A. Planning Committee In order to assure the best community input possible, we have put together a planning committee to make sure that experts in their field reviewed this Work First Plan. We have selected our planning committee from a number of community partners that also help to serve our clients, their families, and other folks in the community on an ongoing basis. We not only want to make sure that the plan is the best that it can be for recipients who are seeking work, but also must be cognizant of the fact that some people may not be appropriate for work, and that our plan addresses what we must do to ensure that they are provided for as well. Our committee consisted of the following representatives: • Business Community: Bob VanGorden (chair of Workforce Development Bd) • Employment Security Commission: Carolyn Mays (ESC Manager) j-1