Chowan County Named First NC Works Certified Work Ready Community in Northeastern North Carolina

(From left: Board of Education Chair John Guard, NC Representative Bob Steinburg, Vidant Hospital President Jeff Sackrison, NC Chamber Foundation Vice-President Ed Troha, Board of County Commissioners Chair Jeff Smith, COA President Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, Town of Edenton Mayor Roland Vaughan, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Win Dale, Edenton-Chowan Schools Superintendent Dr. Rob Jackson)

On Monday, May 9th, local and state dignitaries gathered with community members to announce and celebrate Chowan County being named as a NC Works Certified Work Ready Community.

According to the description, "the foundation of a community's certification is based on individuals at the county level across the current, transitioning and emerging workforce earning a National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) and employers recognizing the NCRC. The NCRC is a portable, industry-recognized credential that clearly identifies an individual’s WorkKeys® skills in reading for information, applied math and locating information – skills required for 77 percent of jobs based on the ACT JobPro database."

The announcement and presentation was made by Ed Troha, Vice President of the North Carolina Chamber Foundation. He traveled from Raleigh to announce the certification and present a plaque to Chowan County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jeff Smith and Town of Edenton Mayor Roland Vaughan.

I had the honor to serve as the Chairman of the Steering Committee charged with leading our county's efforts to earn this certification. The way that our county was able to master and exceed the goals of the certification criteria is a testament to the partnership between the Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce, the Edenton-Chowan Partnership for Economic Development, the County of Chowan, the Town of Edenton, the College of the Albemarle, local businesses, and the Edenton-Chowan School System.

As a community, we are honored and proud to be the first county in Northeastern North Carolina to earn this designation and believe that it will be a significant tool for the Partnership, the Chamber, and our local government to use in retaining our current businesses and attracting new businesses. We have demonstrated that our Work Force is prepared and ready to help the companies they work for take quantum leaps forward as they benefit from the potential employees they find right here in Chowan County.

For the emerging workforce, our high schools students, the goal that was set for us was to have 46 National Career Readiness Certificates earned. The students at our local high school, John A. Holmes High, earned 328 certificates, over seven times the goal that was set for them. Our students in our local public school system have been able to demonstrate on this national assessment that they are ready and that they are well-prepared for college and career.

I had the opportunity to introduce two members of the emerging work force. These are students who have taken the exams, proven their worth, and helped our county achieve this designation.

Each of these students have earned a Gold Certificate. They represent the other 326 of their classmates who have also earned a National Career Readiness Certificate while in high school. The certificate they have earned gives them proof that they possess the skills employers deem essential to workplace success. 

In addition to the National Career Readiness Certificate, our students are earning credentials in many areas including credentials like: Certified Nursing Assistant; Certified Production Technician Safety; ServSafe; Microsoft; OSHA-10; CPR-Heartsaver; and CPR-Healthcare Provider. Next year, our students will have the opportunity to earn credentials in Adobe; as a Carolina Certified Plant Professional; Community Emergency Response Team; EverFi; NC Private Pesticide Applicator; and PrintED in Graphic Communications.

Our students will tell you that they would not have obtained success of this magnitude without the incredible teachers and staff members they have worked with throughout their school years. Though they took this test as students at John A. Holmes High School, their achievement was made possible by the strong foundational skills they mastered at White Oak Elementary, DF Walker Elementary, and Chowan Middle Schools.

We are committed to doing all that we can to assist our students in achieving their dreams. We are proud of the Career Academies we opened this year in Public Safety, Health Sciences, and our STEM Academy. We are proud of the students that we have interning in Nursing Homes and Early Childhood Education Centers. We are proud of our incredible staff members.

COA President Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer 

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the incredible partnership we have with the College of the Albemarle. Because of the partnership we have with our community college, our students are earning college credits in record numbers. This week I will join COA President Deitemeyer as one of our high school seniors participates in the COA Commencement Ceremony because he has earned his two-year Associates Degree while in high school.

On behalf of our Board of Education, I would like to again thank our partners the Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce, the Edenton-Chowan Partnership for Economic Development, the County of Chowan, the Town of Edenton, the College of the Albemarle, and local businesses. We are proud of this honor and look forward to continuing to work together as we do all that we can to prepare our students for the jobs of tomorrow.