Though Craven County currently suffers from a skills gap crisis, the data shows it is in a stronger position than many other areas of the state, according to information presented at Monday’s County Commissioners meeting.
Toni Blount, regional impact manager for myFutureNC, updated the board on data the nonprofit has gathered concerning the state’s progress in meeting educational goals set forth in NC House Bill 664, which the NC General Assembly passed in 2019. According to the legislation, in order to remain economically competitive, the state must ensure that at least two million 25-to-44-year-olds have completed an industry valued credential or a college degree by 2030 that will lead to a job with a family-sustaining wage.
Blount said two-thirds of businesses across the state need employees who have some level of education beyond high school, while only approximately half of all North Carolinians have achieved the level of education necessary for the needs of employers.
Blount described the current skills gap crisis as “a state of emergency around workforce talent.”
“If you take 100 ninth-grade students in North Carolina today, only 28 of those will graduate from high school on time and then go on to earn a credential or a two or four-year degree within six years of graduating from high school, or less than one-third of all high school students,” Blount noted.
Depending on the region of the state where they live, Blount said someone with a high school diploma in North Carolina can expect to earn about $27,000 all the way up to 15 years of employment. With an associate degree and beyond that earning potential doubles, she said.
“This has a significant impact on our health and our financial security for families and communities,” Blount said.
According to data from the 2021 census, North Carolina now has approximately 1.5 million residents that meet the goals for the target age group, putting the state around 444,000 shy of North Carolinians aged 25-44 with a postsecondary degree or credential. The state is about 31,000 below where it needs to be in right now in order to meet that educational attainment goal on time, Blount stated.
Looking at Craven County data, Blount said from 2018-21 the county increased by .80 percent in terms of postsecondary degrees or credentials for 25-44-year-olds while experiencing a 2.73% population decrease in that age range over the same time frame. By comparison, Pamlico County’s targeted age group experienced a .84% loss in postsecondary degrees or credentials, Jones County a 4.25% increase, Onslow County a 2.88% increase, and Lenoir County a 1.68% decline.
Blount said as of 2021, Craven County had achieved 58% of its goal of ensuring that 13,096 residents between 25 and 44 achieve a postsecondary degree or credential, with a gap of about 2,000 students to make up by 2030.
“That gap-to-goal is less (in Craven County) than a lot of communities in North Carolina and I attribute a lot of that to the work of Craven Community College, specifically the Volt Center with the short-term workforce credentials and the increase in enrollment in the two-year degrees,” Blount told commissioners.
Blount said one of the most promising areas for the state to focus on is Opportunity Youth, defined as teens and young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 who are not enrolled in school or working. Blount said 11.9% of Craven County’s population falls into that category. Statewide, American Indian make up 25.8% of the Opportunity Youth population, Multiracial residents 17.3%, Blacks 18.2%, Hispanics 14%, Asians 13.2%, and Whites 11.6%.
“Students of color take up a good portion of that pie chart,” Blount noted.
According to Blount, the UNC School of Government has identified NC Pre-K enrollment and federal student aid (FAFSA) completion as key performance indicators that could help bridge the county’s education goal gap.
Commissioners ET Mitchell, who sits on the Craven Community College Board of Trustees, and Dennis Bucher said they would like to see more emphasis placed on the role of workforce trade certifications that don’t require a two or four-year degree.
“I’d like to hear a lot more that success is defined as working in a job, because we have a lot of ready to work programs at Craven Community College,” Mitchell commented.
Bucher said in his opinion too many parents are focused solely on sending their children to four-year colleges.
“I think the kids that stay here and study here at the Community College or Volt Center or wherever are going to go a lot farther toward us meeting the workforce goals that we’ve got,” he commented.
By Todd Wetherington, co-editor. Send an email with questions or comments.