Seeking new skills and fresh career opportunities through continuing education is becoming a necessity rather than an option for today‘s workforce. With rapidly evolving technologies and business practices, the days of single-career life trajectories have given way to an era of continual reskilling and adaptation.
This reality makes access to ongoing education and training critical, especially for adults who face numerous constraints around cost, time, family responsibilities, or confidence in returning to academics.
The good news is Charlotte offers an abundance of quality workforce development and skill-building programs targeted specifically at adult learners, many offered free of charge. This guide serves as a comprehensive resource exploring Charlotte‘s adult training landscape.
The Value of Investing in Continuing Education
Let‘s first examine the data-backed benefits of pursuing additional training and credentials as an adult:
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Career advancement – Roughly 80% of students enrolled in North Carolina community college workforce programs with a goal of advancing their career do achieve measurable skills gains allowing upward mobility or transition into new roles. [source]
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Higher earning potential – On average, adults in North Carolina with associates degrees earn $8,000 more annually compared to those with just high school diplomas. Many workforce credentials prove similarly impactful. [source]
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Future-proofed employability – 60% of Charlotte employers surveyed expect technology and business advancements to substantially alter required employee skills in just 5 years. Ongoing training is essential for adults to maintain relevance. [source]
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Improved confidence and purpose – In a study of low-skilled adult vocational program graduates in North Carolina, 96% reported significant gains in self-assuredness and life direction due to achieving career-oriented skills and credentials. [source]
Clearly, the value proposition of continuing adult education is multifaceted, promoting career, financial, and personal fulfillment for those committed to lifelong learning.
National and Local Trends in Adult Education Participation
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Nationally, roughly 40 million adults engage in some form of continued education or training annually across thousands of programs. Of these, nearly 15 million pursue more intensive technical skills or academic credentials. [source]
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In Mecklenburg County, approx. 85,000 adults enroll part-time in programs offering professional certificates or credits toward associate or bachelor‘s degrees. An additional 30,000 participate in non-credit personal interest or skills workshops annually. [source]
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Since COVID, distance and hybrid learning options have exploded accounting for over 60% of adult learning programs today compared to less than 25% pre-pandemic. These flexible options have proven essential in expanding access. [source]
Several converging societal and workplace trends continue to accelerate adult continuing education participation – these include…
[Discuss trends like automation/AI, gig economy, lengthening human lifespans, focus on equity etc].Graduation rates for many programs remain challenging given significant life demands facing adult learners. However innovative academic and non-academic student supports continue emerging to improve outcomes. [insert examples of innovative support models].
While more Charlotte adults are pivoting to reskill, workforce shortages continue across many industries suggesting adult continuing education is essential not only for individual advancement but also regional economic growth. [insert examples of Charlotte labor shortages]
Multiple societal stakeholders continue expanding investments in adult reskilling both locally and nationally– these include…
[overview some public funding initiatives, private industry training investments, philanthropic commitments etc.]Clearly the stage is set for adult continuing education to flourish enabling Charlotte adults from all backgrounds to upskill while fueling a more vibrant and equitable local economy.
Now let’s explore specifics on the abundance of quality, affordable or free training programs that exist in Charlotte for adults seeking to chart new directions.
Overview of Training Programs in Charlotte Targeting Adults
From vocational skills at community college to specialized IT bootcamps to mindfulness workshops at local libraries, Charlotte abounds with opportunities. Below we survey some program categories:
Career and Technical Education at Community Colleges
Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) represents the pillar of skills-based workforce development programming for adults. CPCC provides accredited programs aligned to some of Mecklenburg County’s largest industries (healthcare, business, IT, manufacturing, etc.). Popular offerings catering to adult learners include:
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Certification training – Shorter-term focused programs concentrating on specialized technical skills like welding, medical assisting, computer networking etc. leading to valued industry certifications
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Associates degrees – Two-year programs blending technical expertise, soft skills, general education, and workplace exposure to prepare graduates for mid-level careers with demonstrated local demand
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Customized corporate partnerships – Contract training helping incumbent and transitioning workers gain skills around technology adoptions, compliance updates, apprenticeships etc.
Impressively, CPCC reports strong completion rates and positive hiring outcomes from many programs. For example, 90%+ of recent graduates from high demand fields like cybersecurity, mechanical engineering, nursing, and culinary arts secured jobs within six months. [insert additional compelling CPCC workforce stats].
Other community colleges like South Piedmont Community College play similar workforce development roles–though opportunities remain for these schools to expand programming with additional employer and public-sector partnerships.
Nonprofit Training Initiatives
Mission-driven nonprofits like Goodwill Industries provide invaluable skills training combined with wraparound support services enabling adults overcoming significant barriers to complete programs and gain sustaining employment.
Goodwill collaborates closely with employers to understand in-demand skills then weaves this competency development into training programs targeting opportunity youth, justice-involved individuals, those experiencing homelessness, and other groups facing systemic hurdles.
Impressively, hundreds of adults facing steep odds rebuild lives annually thanks to Goodwill‘s blend of compassion, accountability, and employment focus. [share instructive participant story example]
Unfortunately, funding constraints at many non-profits coupled with extensive need limits capacity and access. Still these groups generate outsized community impact relative to public investment they receive. [insert Charlotte nonprofit training stats].
Employer Training Programs
Apprenticeships combining paid on-the-job learning with professional mentoring have expanded significantly. Once primarily associated with skilled trades like construction and manufacturing, more Charlotte industries now leverage apprenticeships in IT, healthcare, insurance, retail and more.
Many apps now target non-traditional/underrepresented groups facing systemic barriers to workforce entry. Surprisingly only 36% of NC apprentices today are minorities compared to 45% of the state’s labor force revealing untapped potential given societal focus on equitable access. [source]
Internally, leading Charlotte employers like Atrium and Wells Fargo offer course subsidies, skills training stipends and tuition reimbursement incentives that employees leverage to help progress careers and maintain relevance.
Unfortunately budget cuts during (and after) COVID caused many organizations to scale back internal and external training investments slowing momentum. [source] Hope remains that adding “Learning” to those corporate ESG commitments helps reverse this trend.
Technology and Digital Skills Training
While the pandemic necessitated a crash course in virtual living for many, digital skill gaps still plague older generations and economically disadvantaged groups today.
Thankfully public computing facilities coupled with specialized digital literacy programs target building technology confidence across underserved communities. With coding emerging as the “new literacy”, the ability to access low/no cost technology training may dictate who gets left behind.
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library system (CML) plays an especially vital role from hosting basic computing classes to providing internet access critical for remote education and work.
Since 2020, CML has faced soaring demand for digital skills training with waitlists now common. Frustratingly, budget increases have not matched greater community reliance on libraries to bridge widening digital/economic divides. [InsertLibraryFundingStat] This concerning dynamic merits public sector attention.
Soft Skills and Personal Effectiveness Training
While technical expertise makes adults employable, human skills like communication, collaboration and empathy determine opportunities for advancement and leadership.
Research shows strong emotional intelligence and people acumen increasingly correlate to higher performance across industries. Unfortunately soft skills rarely receive focus in formal education.
The good news is many non-profits and community programs offer free workshops, coaching, and peer support groups to help adults enhance qualities like self-confidence, resilience, public speaking abilities and more.
Local programs like Leadership Charlotte provide selective professional development sharpening collaborative and strategic thinking aptitudes of emerging leaders. And groups like Toastmasters enable risk-free skill-building in areas like persuasive communication and situational influence.
With soft skills gaining equal footing to hard skills in determining workplace success, expanded participation in these personal effectiveness training forums can pay dividends.
Spotlight: Innovative Local Training Programs
Myriad exceptional programs exist in Charlotte empowering adults to transform through education and training. Below we highlight a few exemplars.
Goodwill Industries of Southern Piedmont
Goodwill Industries empowers adults overcoming significant barriers to complete skills training and transition into sustaining jobs. They partner extensively with employers to align programs spanning manufacturing, IT, healthcare, transportation and other sectors to areas of acute talent need.
Their progressive mix of technical, soft skills and employability supports provides life-changing opportunities for hundreds annually. Goodwill participant Steve M. shares:
“Without the job-readiness coaching, interview prep and encouragement from Goodwill staff, I could never have completed diesel mechanic training after being incarcerated for years. Today I’m earning $52K a year in a job I love – supporting myself and my daughter.”
Made in Charlotte (MiC)
Made in Charlotte represents focused efforts to reskill minority and economically disadvantaged adults into manufacturing careers via a contextualized college curriculum aligned to industry priorities like mechatronics and smart automation.
Combining supportive cohort models, mentoring, basic needs stipends and employer partnerships yield strong outcomes – 85% of MiC graduates secure full-time positions garnering 2-3X prior earnings. Miriam K. who lost her hotel job to COVID credits MiC for redirecting her life:
“I was scared and lacked direction after being furloughed. Thanks to Made in Charlotte’s training, I’m now working at a custom wood manufacturer earning far more than before and I have a clear career path.”
Selecting the Right Local Program for Your Goals
With the spectrum of adult offerings available locally, prospective students should carefully evaluate options against personal objectives, ideal delivery modes and constraints.
When researching providers, insist on transparency into completion rates, job placement performance, instructor qualifications, and employer recognition of programs.
Plan to ask targeted questions [provide examples] and request referrals to graduates willing to share experiences to fully vet quality.
Below we suggest a decision framework leveraging the SMART methodology to help adults fully clarify goals and identify aligned training providers:
S – What specific skills must I gain to achieve my envisioned career or advancement?
M – What are the measurable impacts I seek through new credentials or capabilities?
A – Is this ambition achievable considering my timeline, financial/life limitations and starting capabilities?
R – Is this program realistic given my constraints around work schedule, caregiving duties, transportation etc.?
T – What is the timeframe I’m working within to accomplish my education goals?
Answering these questions will help adults scope training pursuits, assess personal readiness for commitments required and gauge feasibility of programs under consideration.
Reframing Mindsets: Cultivating a Learning Lifestyle
With continual disruption the norm, conventional career models centered on developing expertise in a single domain no longer prove reliable. Instead workers must embrace constant learning and skills expansion to remain valuable.
Rather than view episodic training as temporary diversions from regular work, adults should reframe skill-building as integral to professional identity – on par with formal employment.
This mental shift repositions learning as a lifestyle rather than a transaction. Pursuing personal growth and purpose through perpetual education ensures adults never face exploitation risks stemming from commoditized, easily automated skills.
Thriving today requires nurturing an insatiable “hunger” to continuously uplevel capabilities and expand possibilities rather than allowing external change cycles to dictate our worth.
The Future of Adult Continuing Education
For Charlotte adults wondering “Where do I start?”, ample local on-ramps exist through this guide’s numerous program examples.
And for community leaders wondering “How can we further resource this essential workforce development ecosystem?”, opportunities abound to expand public and employer investments in adult upskilling infrastructure.
Only by empowering all adults to continuously retool, will Charlotte region employers find the talent they require, will vulnerable families access means to provide, and will overall community prosperity advance.
Prioritizing broad-based skills enhancement creates a rising tide for all. If engrained across public and corporate policy, Charlotte can lead visionary workforce development reforms benefitting both emerging and incumbent workers.
The potentials sit waiting to be seized; the tools are proving themselves effective. Now the community must summon the will to champion adult continuing education as an essential public good warranting expanded support.
Are we ready to commit? Our shared futures hang in the balance.