LCPS expands career development: $100,000 Workforce Innovation grant funds internships, pre-apprenticeships
Summary
LCPS told the board it received a $100,000 Workforce Innovation Grant to fund a three-year internship program placing students in district departments and partners including Crown and Lenoir Community College; program includes paid placements and pathways to employment.
Lenoir County Public Schools told the board on Nov. 3 that it was awarded a $100,000 Workforce Innovation Grant this fall to support a three-year internship program placing students in district departments, including transportation, maintenance, child nutrition and technology.
Dr. Amy Jones, the board was told, outlined the district's career-development continuum — from kindergarten career exposure to high school work-based learning — and described partnerships with local employers and higher-education institutions. The presentation noted a pre-apprenticeship program with Crown that has taken seven students this year and that five students have signed for full-time employment upon graduation.
The district said internships tied to the Workforce Innovation Grant will fund student salaries and provide classroom credit after completion of 120 work hours and a portfolio requirement. The program will also expand internal internships within LCPS departments and continue external partnerships with Lenoir Community College, UNC Lenoir (hospital opportunities) and local businesses such as Curtis Construction and Pink Hill Chiropractic.
Miss Herring and Dr. Amy Jones noted upcoming events for student career exposure (Careers on Wheels Nov. 20; ECU Miller Entrepreneurship Challenge Nov. 14) and said staff will distribute details through school counselors and the public information officer. Board members asked operational questions; presenters said they would provide further details as the program expands.
No formal board action was required beyond receiving the report, though members congratulated staff and partners on the grant award.
