Mid Carolina’s NextGen program expands summer job placements, career‑readiness work with schools

Mid Carolina Regional Council told the Cumberland County City–County Liaison Committee that its NextGen youth workforce program is expanding summer career‑readiness training and paid job placements across the county.

Jennifer McArthur, introduced by the chair as a Mid Carolina director, explained the regional workforce model and the county Career Center network. “Our programs are primarily focused throughout the year, so we don't just solely focus on the summer part of the program,” McArthur said, and described career advisers stationed at the NCWorks Career Center who provide job placement help, resume assistance and supportive services when participants have barriers such as transportation.

Why it matters: The program targets residents ages 14–24 and pairs classroom‑style career readiness with paid placements to give students real‑world experience. Committee members said paid placements and targeted employer matches can make internships meaningful for small businesses and youth with barriers.

McArthur described a summer initiative with the city (My Future So Bright) and a district program called District C that brought businesses into schools with a “pitch” model: students form teams to solve a business problem and present solutions to employers; employers then give feedback and may accept youth for placements. Mid Carolina said it placed roughly 85 youths into job placements this year through several initiatives and aims to match participants to industry interests (for example, health placements for students interested in nursing). Participating schools include Pine Forest, Jack Britt and Terry Sanford; Mid Carolina reported representation from all 16 county high schools for the current series.

McArthur emphasized that participants are paid a wage that the program intends to make meaningful and that the program includes financial‑literacy instruction so paychecks are used productively. She said the program leverages NCWorks (ncworks.gov) for job listings and Mid Carolina's website (mccongov — as stated in the meeting) for agency information and that the local NCWorks Career Center accepts drop‑in visits for NextGen intake.

Committee members asked about expansion to younger grades, coordination with middle schools and consolidation of similar programs. One county commissioner asked staff to explore how ICON, NCWorks and Mid Carolina initiatives might collaborate to leverage resources and reach additional students.