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Northampton County leaders hope new career center will bring younger people to the area

Northampton County leaders hope a new career training center could reinvigorate the area's aging population and bring a younger generation to the rural county.

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By
Keenan Willard
, WRAL eastern North Carolina reporter
JACKSON, N.C. — Northampton County leaders hope a new career training center could reinvigorate the area’s aging population and bring a younger generation to the rural county.

The small county has only 20,000 residents and is made up mostly of people older than 50, according to U.S. Census data.

“As you’ve heard that the population is aging, that means that your workforce is aging,” Northampton County Economic Development Director Franklin Williams said in a press conference. “And because the workforce is aging, it’s hard to fill positions with our local businesses.”

The career training center will be open to students in Northampton schools as well as adults from the area, and will offer industry-leading certifications in a range of different jobs, including cosmetology, welding, and electrical systems. The Census shows that more than 200 businesses have been established in the county.

“Which means that they won’t have to move away from Northampton County, they can become employable and make a livable, sustainable wage right here in our county,” Williams said.

20% of the county's residents live below the poverty line, which is nearly double the national average.

County leaders had to be creative, so they decided to convert a former high school converted into a hands-on training lab.

Northampton County spent $841,000 in county funds and grant money to retool the center, in partnership with Roanoke-Chowan Community College.

More than 120 students had already applied for the chance to learn at the center as of the start of December, and county leaders believed they were laying the foundation for the future in Northampton.

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