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Raleigh program helps young people build skills, find jobs

The Raleigh Pathways Center is a job-training program aimed at high school students and those just out of high school.

Posted Updated

By
Mandy Mitchell
, WRAL reporter
RALEIGH, N.C. — Summer vacation used to mean it was time to find a job for high school and college students, but statistics show fewer and fewer young people are entering the workforce each year. A partnership between the city of Raleigh, Wake Technical Community College and the Capital Area Workforce Development Board is working to slow the trend.

"We found out that one of the challenges to these young people getting employment was workforce development training," said Cathey Ector-Cox, director of the Raleigh Pathways Center.

The Raleigh Pathways Center is home to six different workforce development programs for students ages 14 to 24.

The programs provide everything from IT training to construction training.

Tyrez McFarland is 18 years old and he's a part of the city of Raleigh's Youth Build program, which is designed to expose those in high school or recently out of high school to a life in construction.

"They are giving people that didn't have chances in life, they are giving them a second chance in life," McFarland said.

According to a 2019 Brookings Institution report, the labor force for those 16-24 years old declined by 10% from 1996 to 2016 and is expected to decline another 3% by 2026. Minorities face a much higher unemployment rate.

Those numbers are what inspired the center. Each of the programs is free to the participants thanks to funding from the city of Raleigh and grants from Verizon and Bank of America.

"Honestly it is a blessing," said Monte Harris, who is part of the program. "I actually came from Georgia and Georgia didn't have as many opportunities as the city of Raleigh does."

If you know someone who may be interested in job training, the Pathways center is accepting new students all the time.

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