AHOSKIE, NC –Congressman Don Davis (NC-01) presented a $470,140 check to Roanoke-Chowan Community College (R-CCC) on July 29. R-CCC is one of 10 North Carolina recipients of the inaugural State Economic and Infrastructure Development (SEID) grant funded through the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC). Ten projects were selected to receive funding totaling $4 million. Of the awards, 92% are in distressed communities.
 
R-CCC will use the funding to enhance the Weld to Work Pipeline project. The initiative aims to offer accessible and affordable short-term welding training to increase the number of skilled welders in the workforce. The project includes financial assistance to overcome transportation and tuition barriers and leverages community education centers to boost enrollment. When welders finish the R-CCC program, they are eligible to sit for American Welding Society certification.
 
R-CCC President Dr. Murray J. Williams explained, “Our welding program has been highly successful, but word is now getting out about this program and more people want to enroll. One of the things we seek to do with this funding is to expand the program by renovating the space and adding more welding bays.” She credited partnerships with Hertford County government, Nucor and Newport News Shipbuilding, among others, for program support.  
 
“We want to get welders into the field wherever they are needed. This Weld to Work program is part of our way of skilling up and helping our people to get the skills that they need so that they can earn family-sustaining wages,” continued Williams.
 
Davis stressed the importance of the project, “This is massive for eastern North Carolina, and northeast North Carolina in particular. There are a lot of young people leaving because they don’t see real opportunities and good-paying jobs… This is perfect for the area. This is bigger than any of us realize.”  
 
Davis continued, “This is a direct pathway to potentially hundreds of jobs. We cannot give up on our young people.” He then talked about the work of SCRC and showed the NC County Tier Designation Map, which depicts the state’s Tier I, 2 and 3 counties. Hertford, Northampton and Bertie counties are designated as Tier I counties, shaded in gray, which indicates economically distressed areas.
 
“How do we change the color?” asked Davis. “We change the color with projects just like this, giving young people real opportunity to live the American dream,” said Davis.
 
Federal Co-Chair of the SCRC Dr. Jennifer Clyburn Reed said that SCRC’s whole purpose is to alleviate the effects of poverty in areas such as northeast North Carolina. “I’m looking forward to the large impact that this program can have on this community,” she said.
 
There were 363 grant applications. Clyburn Reed commented on the competitiveness of the R-CCC grant application and how it led to funding. “The need is definitely there, the demand is of course there, but to scale those 363 projects down to the 57 projects that we funded across six states is a testimony to your staff,” she added.
 
NC Department of Commerce Director of Regional Development Commissions Olivia Collier, who manages the program, said there were 105 applications for the state. Total appropriation for the state was a little more than $4 million. During the application process, only 22 applicants were invited to submit full applications and 10 projects were recommended. Priority was given to areas and counties in the state that are distressed.
 
“That is most of this region,” added Collier. Priority was also given to infrastructure and workforce development projects. “Welders statewide and nationwide are in huge demand,” she said.
 
About the SCRC
The Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC) is a federal-state partnership authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill to promote and encourage economic development in areas of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and all of Florida. SCRC invests in projects that support basic infrastructure, business development, natural resources, and workforce/labor development. SCRC’s mission is to help create jobs, build communities, and improve the lives of those who reside in the 428 counties of the seven-state region.

 

 

Roanoke-Chowan Community College’s Mission
Roanoke-Chowan Community College, a member of the North Carolina Community College System and located in Hertford County, is a public, two-year institution of higher education offering associate degrees, diplomas, certificates, college and career readiness, and customized business and industry training in a variety of delivery modes promoting public service, transfer, and workforce development for a diverse student body, leading them to contribute to the vitality of an increasingly global community. www.roanokechowan.edu #DiscoverRCCC “Where community and careers connect”

Media Contact: Melanie Temple, Director of Marketing & Recruitment/PIO, metemple7181@roanokechowan.edu, 252-862-1243