This grant provided funding to Onslow County Schools to assist in building the Regional Skills Center to serve Onslow, Jones, and Duplin counties. Funding in the amount of $5 million was appropriated by the State toward the project. In addition, Onslow County donated land valued at approximately $575,000, industry donations were estimated at $279,000, and the district committed funds to operate the Skills Center. Once complete, the Regional Skills Center offered high quality, advanced training to students from ten area high schools. Training programs were offered in four core business sectors that mirrored employment needs of this region: (1) Automotive Mechanics and Collision & Repair; (2) Construction Trades: HVAC, Plumbing, & Welding; (3) Information Technology: Networking, Cyber Security, and Programming & Coding; and, (4) Culinary and Hospitality. These programs were identified through a comprehensive vetting process that included student surveys, meetings with workforce and economic development agencies in all three counties, and focus group meetings with business and industry partners. Golden LEAF funding were used to construct and up-fit space for each of the four program areas, purchase classroom furniture and technology, and install the technology infrastructure and hardware for the facility. The impacts of the project were measured by increased program enrollment, an increase in the number of students earning industry recognized certifications, and the number of high school students completing a four-course sequence and entering a post-secondary institution in a related field.
