Employment
MDC has a nearly 50-year history in workforce development at the local, state, regional, and national levels. During that time, MDC has:
- operated adult and youth programs
- developed employer-based programming
- worked closely with community colleges and businesses to align training and local employment needs
- provided direct technical assistance to local/state/national agencies and organizations
- developed and disseminated model evaluation practices and procedures
- developed and demonstrated state and regional technical assistance networks
- established one of the two first state workforce development councils (NC Manpower Council)
- researched and developed major federal legislation and state, regional, and national workforce development policy.
MDC is one of few organizations whose work has spanned the four major pieces of federal workforce legislation over the last half of the 20th century: The Manpower Development and Training Act, the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act, the Job Training Partnership Act, and the Workforce Investment Act.
While our workforce development agenda has changed over time due to evolving needs and our increasing expertise, MDC has been consistent in one important way: removing the barriers between people and good jobs.
The Center for Working Families (CWF) approach at community colleges brings together access to a full range of essential economic supports in a convenient location to help families build self-sufficiency, stabilize their finances, and move ahead. The CWF approach is especially important for low-income students who face financial hurdles. Many simply cannot afford to stay in school--whether it is because continuing would mean giving up employment, paying the bills, or responding to a crisis.
The South's historical dependence on disappearing agriculture and manufacturing industries has left the region with a disproportionate number of displaced, low-wage workers and high-poverty communities. Through Career Pathways for a Green South, MDC is helping low-wage and unemployed workers find work in emerging green industries. Through partnerships with four communities in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina that have suffered manufacturing job loss in recent years, MDC is bridging gaps between individuals and training that leads to credentials and employment in green jobs.
MDC is assisting the Danville Regional Foundation in developing a new regional initiative aimed at improving the economic prosperity of citizens in three counties in southern Virginia and northern North Carolina.
