Oh, the places you’ll go…
City develops career pathways
“Oh, the places you’ll go. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” — Dr. Seuss
The City of Charlotte is helping Team Charlotte and the community develop skills that will help them get where they want to go in their career. To develop and retain a strong workforce, organizations need to think differently. How can we fill skilled jobs and create opportunities for our community? The city is promoting workforce development and special programs to not only fill needed positions, but also help our community with upward mobility.
A National and Local Effort
“The idea of career pathways is essential to our city’s success.” — Mayor Vi Lyles
To add to the momentum, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles is the only mayor serving on the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, which is a group of 25 leaders across the United States that are developing policies and programs that give access to training and education for all citizens.
Over the past few years, the city has developed programs that give people on-the-job experience and trains them for a career. Some of the programs also offer members of Team Charlotte an opportunity to grow and expand their career with the city. These programs are the Mayors Youth Employment Program, the Apprenticeship Program, Airport Opportunity Scholarship, Pipeline Academy and GED Program.
Our Successes
It’s our employees that deliver city services daily to keep the city moving. For personal growth and advancement in the city, many credit their success to the city’s career pathways programs. Here are some of their stories:
Frederick McVay Sr., Solid Waste Services
GED Program
Frederick is a Charlotte native with two children and has been married to his wife for 24 years. He was raised by his grandparents in West Charlotte. Frederick attended Olympic High School but never graduated. Instead, he held lots of different jobs at fast food restaurants, a manufacturing company and eventually landed in the landscaping business prior to working for Solid Waste Services.
The 49-year-old recently earned his GED through the City of Charlotte GED program, a new partnership between Solid Waste Services and Central Piedmont Community College.
Frederick’s thoughts on how transformative earning his GED has been for him:
“It means that I can take that next step that I need to not only better myself, but I can provide a little bit better life for my family.”
“It was a sigh of relief. A big relief,” said Frederick. “Since I’ve taken this test and got my diploma, it gave me a whole different look on where I can go and where I need to be.”
Alexander Armata, Aviation
Registered Apprenticeship Program
Alex grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts, before his parents moved the family down to Charlotte. Alex has faced a lot of adversity. He moved around and went to community college but dropped out. He held lots of odd jobs (Lyft/Uber driver, wedding DJ, jet fueler) and worked up to three jobs simultaneously, having to sleep in his car occasionally. Thanks to guidance from a friend, Alex joined the Aviation Department’s Apprenticeship Program in 2017. He is also in his second year at Central Piedmont Community College and participates in job training at the Building Maintenance Division.
“I see the value of this program where they can take anybody, it doesn’t matter what your background is, and really help mold you into a better person, give you these skills, give you the help you need. I’m definitely, definitely glad I did it.”
Alex enjoys the fact that his job training mirrors what he’s learning in school. “I’m using this knowledge every day. I’m asking questions and I’m storing that information I believe a lot faster and better than some of the other kids because I get to go from school straight to work and do what I just learned.”
More to come
These are a few of the current programs. The city is looking to add more opportunities for current employees to help them advance in their careers as well. For example, stay tuned for more information about a Career and Training Academy in the fall that was approved in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget.
