Is your company looking for ways to improve production processes, decrease waste, and increase sales and revenues?

A Centralina Workforce Development Board (WDB) initiative called UpSkill Centralina is supporting business growth and success in our region by increasing the skills of the existing workforce. The initiative’s goal is to help participating companies retain a strong workforce and increase the stability and competitiveness of the employer.

Through UpSkill training grants, companies are able to provide either occupational or educational training to individual employees, leaders, entire departments and/or teams. Grants are awarded to eligible businesses in Cabarrus County to provide training in areas including, but not limited to:

• Technical training (5S, ISO, MS Office, Six Sigma, etc.)
• Certifications
• Leadership development
• Soft skills
• Professional development
• Skills assessment related to training

In Cabarrus County, three companies have already tapped into this program to train a total of 43 employees.

• S&D Coffee, Inc. is preparing to use their grant to provide leadership training for 25 key individuals in their organization.
• In June, Wayne Brothers Companies used their UpSkill grant to provide a train the trainer program for 10 of their employees. The training program certified operators for boom lifts, scissor lifts and counterbalance forklifts.
• SBM Solar provided training on the fundamentals of electricity to make sure that all of their employees had the same foundational understanding of their work. Rowan-Cabarrus Community College was instrumental in providing training to the 8 employees in this program.

UpSkill Centralina is available to eligible companies in the Centralina WDB service region, which includes Cabarrus, Anson, Iredell, Lincoln, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties. To date, the Centralina WDB has awarded $55,200 in grants to 10 companies throughout this region.

If you are interested in learning more about the process, guidelines and eligibility requirements for UpSkill Centralina, you can contact Anna Lu Wilson, Centralina WDB Business Engagement Coordinator, at (704) 385-4790 or alwilson@centralina.org.

For more information about UpSkill and the Centralina Workforce Development Board, click here.

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