Workforce Training

Businesses looking to start or grow in Rowan County will have access to a strong workforce with many workforce training programs available.

The Centralina NCWorks Career Centers are dedicated to serving businesses and career seekers by staying connected in the community to understand what businesses need, and to help career seekers achieve success through valuable resources and services that help them find not just a job, but a career that meets their interests and goals. Services for businesses include:

• Recruitment and Job Postings
• Retention Strategies
• Downsizing and Layoff Assistance
• Hiring and Tax Incentives
• Labor Market Trends and Data

Award-Winning Education

Rowan County’s business and community leaders understand the critical role education plays in advancing our economy, and are committed to empowering students to be successful citizens, workers and leaders in a global economy.

From cradle to career, our community offers high-quality, award-winning educational programs and institutions that provide the business community with a highly-educated workforce.

The Rowan-Salisbury School System (RSSS) provides STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) into curriculum from pre-K through grade 12 classrooms. In 2014, Rowan-Salisbury moved to One to One program which provides each student in grades K-12 with a personal iPad or laptop device.

RSSS has been recognized with a National Ranking in the ‘Top 10” for Pioneering Uses of Technology; National ‘Top 20 To Watch’ (Consortium for School Networking); National ‘Innovation in Education” (Discovery Education) and State Excellence in Educational Programs (NC School Boards Association).

RSSS also operates 12 Career Academies including an Advanced Manufacturing Academy that integrates engineering, robotics, and mechatronics enabling students to be prepared for multiple manufacturing careers as well as post-secondary programs. RSSS also offers advanced education opportunities with regionally-accredited community colleges which provides students with a variety of learning options.

Recently, RSSS became the first Renewal School System in the state. This allows a three-tiered approach, giving schools the flexibility to develop students’ interpersonal skills and unique life goals in addition to the standard academic skills. Academics are focused around science, math, English and social studies, while giving students the flexibility to gain hands-on experience in their desired career fields.

Rowan County is also home to one of the premier community colleges in the nation. Rowan-Cabarrus Community College has two campuses and more than 18,000 students. RCCC was the first community college in the state to offer ISO 9000 training and it has earned two awards for its industry training partnerships and custom-made programs for local industries.

RCCC operates the North Carolina Manufacturing Institute, an innovative collaboration between private and public sector partners and investors to link and leverage assets and resources in order to:

• Close the manufacturing skills gap through workforce training and certification
• Improve the image of manufacturing employment opportunities among job seekers
• Assist manufacturing firms in improving recruitment, selection and retention of talent

It offers an 8-week training program leading to the Certified Production Technician Certificate. Scholarships are available and students are experiencing a 94% placement rate upon completion.

The programs provided by RCCC customize training assistance in support of full-time production and direct customer service positions. This program enhances the growth potential of companies located in the area, while simultaneously preparing our workforce with the skills essential to successful employment in emerging industries.

Catawba College is located on 276 acres in Salisbury, and is the sixth oldest college in North Carolina, with 1,300 students from 30 U.S. states and 14 foreign countries. The private, liberal arts school offers 40 academic fields of study, including a strong science program, pre-professional programs, evening/adult programs and graduate studies. Catawba offers a student-faculty ratio of 16:1 with 76 full-time faculty members.

Catawba College Center for the Environment is located on the college’s Ecological Preserve, and educates students and the public on environmental stewardship and sustainability. The Center’s sustainable facility is a model for green building practices and a nationally recognized example of the sustainable use of natural resources. The Three Rivers Land Trust, located in Salisbury, has partnered with Catawba College to purchase and establish a 300-acre wildlife refuge seven miles north of the college. The property, which is protected by a conservation easement, serves multiple purposes: It preserves water quality and land; protects wildlife; and serves as an outdoor laboratory for educating budding conservationists. Catawba is one of the first colleges in the state to offer certification for environmental educators. The program, initiated by the N.C. Office of Environmental Education, is a requirement for environmental educators in nature centers, state parks, aquariums and natural history museums.

Livingstone College is a private, historically black college affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion church. The college is located on 272 acres in Salisbury. Livingstone College is secured by a strong commitment to quality instruction. Through a Christian-based environment suitable for learning, it provides excellent liberal arts and religious education programs for students from all ethnic backgrounds designed to develop their potential for leadership and service to a global community. The Academic Affairs consists of four divisions: Divisions of Business, Education and Social Work, Liberal Arts and Mathematics and Science. Livingstone also offers evening/adult programs.

Hood Theological Seminary – The Seminary offers three graduate degree programs with a two-year timeline. One of them is directed toward practice in the ordained ministry of word, sacraments and order. Another provides flexible theological education for purposes other than the ordained ministry and the third provides preparation for the attainment of the highest degree in the practice of ministry. The Seminary also offers a diploma program in Christian ministry for pastors and lay-persons who may or may not have the requirements for matriculation in the degree programs. Each of these programs accentuates a ministry to the total person and seeks to foster a dynamic relationship among the many disciplines and competencies which undergird effective Christian ministry.

The North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) is a public-private venture created by visionary David H. Murdock, owner of Castle & Cooke, Inc. and Dole Food Company, Inc. Murdock, who has a long-time interest in health, wellness and economic development, is investing approximately $1 billion in development and construction, and another $100 million to fund strategic biotechnology ventures. At NCRC, the world’s leading researchers from academia and industry are stimulating discovery and fostering collaboration that is advancing the fields of nutrition, agriculture and biotechnology. The goal is to enhance the understanding of the links between nutrition and disease in order to translate scientific discovery into new models of prevention, treatment and cures while raising the standards of healthy living for people worldwide. The NCRC is home to eight leading research universities, each with a specific research focus and one commitment – improving human health. The NCRC universities are: Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, NC State University, UNC Charlotte, NC Central University, NC A&T University, UNC Greensboro and Appalachian State University.