Press Releases

More than 30 students across North Carolina took new steps in their future careers by formally joining Registered Apprenticeships this week. In an apprenticeship, participants prepare for an industry through a combination of classroom instruction and on-the-job training.  Apprentices earn progressively higher wages as they move through the programs.  The Apprenticeship & Training Bureau works with companies across the state to set up programs in which they can train apprentices according to their needs.

Governor Pat McCrory and North Carolina Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker announced today that Sigma Plastics Group will restore the former Excelsior Rosman plant in Transylvania County and create 80 new jobs under the newly formed New Excelsior Incorporated.  In addition to the new jobs, the company plans to expand manufacturing operations and invest $5.5 million over the next three years in Brevard.  

A new fraud alerting tool recently installed by the North Carolina Industrial Commission has led to criminal charges being filed against North Carolina employers who failed to maintain workers’ compensation insurance.  The Noncompliant Employer Targeting System (NETS) uses data from various state agencies and produces a list of potentially noncompliant employers ranked in terms of priority.  NETS went online April 14, 2014. 

Raleigh NC- The North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Labor and Economic Analysis Division (LEAD) launched a powerful online resource today called NC TOWER (Tool for Online Workforce and Education Reporting). A new product of the Common Follow-up System (CFS), NC TOWER provides up to ten years of post- graduation employment, wage, and continuing enrollment outcomes for graduates of the North Carolina Community College System and University of North Carolina system.

Move Will Add 1,262 New Jobs

Expansion Will Bring 155 New Jobs to Oxford

Move Will Add 250 New Jobs

The N.C. Department of Commerce, Office of Urban Development has announced that 20 North Carolina communities have achieved accreditation from the National Main Street Center for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Main Street Center®, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

North Carolina has awarded more than $717,000 to employers to help them invest in building the skills of their workers. The Incumbent Workforce Development Program awards grants to businesses each year to reimburse them for the cost of training programs for their employees.  Each business applies for a grant through its local workforce development board, which reviews the applications and submits them for evaluation to the N.C. Division of Workforce Solutions.

The N.C. Division of Workforce Solutions has received a federal grant worth $6.1 million to expand its programs to train workers who lost a job in high-demand industries.