The Anson Advantage Is Changing Lives and Changing Minds

Shortly after he first of the year, every household in Anson County received a postcard from South Piedmont Community College announcing a program that has the potential to positively change the lives of thousands of Ansonians while simultaneously helping us to build the workforce we need to compete for economic development projects down the road. Called the Anson Advantage, this program offers free tuition and fees to any Anson County resident in one of more than 30 practical work skill programs the college offers. Offerings include such in-demand fields as HVAC, Culinary Arts, Electrical Systems, Industrial Maintenance and Welding, and range in duration from 10 weeks to 10 months.

Different communities have gone about bridging the workforce gap in different ways. In Iredell County, I was involved in the development of a very good, but very elaborate, program called the North Carolina Manufacturing Institute. The idea behind the NCMI was that companies would join the organization, paying $1,000 per year for the privilege, and that money would go to provide scholarships to area students who would enroll in a year-long course which would offer the basic education necessary for a career in advanced manufacturing, as determined by the companies. At the end of the year, the graduates of the program would participate in a reverse job fair with the member companies. It was a very successful program. There were more than 20 member companies and dozens of graduates, 90% of whom accepted a position with one of those companies upon graduation.

It was also a very difficult program to administer, requiring a full-time staff member, and the relative lack of flexibility of the class schedule meant that many qualified individuals could not participate.

When we set about bringing that same general concept to Anson County, we realized that a couple of things simply would not "translate." We knew we needed to create a simpler, more readily accessible program that met the requirements of the business community while offering a level of flexibility that would allow the currently employed and underemployed to participate. A steering committee was formed that included representatives from business, industry, government and nonprofits. As part of that committee, I know a great deal of emphasis was placed on offering classes which addressed the skill sets most desired by industry. All things being equal, there should be a good job waiting for anyone who completes one of the "Career In A Year" tracks. We also emphasized flexible schedules that offered both day and evening classes.

The funding for the program is provided by the college's share of the state sales tax overhaul of 2015 which provided rural counties such as Anson a bigger share of sales taxes with the stipulation that those funds be used for education and economic development. There could be no better use for these funds than the Anson Advantage, as it achieves both.

It is also worth noting that the Anson Advantage is unique to SPCC, and we are not aware of any other program in the state that works in exactly the same way. That's a huge competitive advantage for us in recruiting new business, and potentially something that motivated workers looking for a place to settle might consider.

Perhaps an even bigger advantage, however, is a brand-new program called Gateway to Wingate. While not exclusive to Anson County, it is available to Anson County residents who graduate from SPCC with an associate's degree. SPCC graduates with qualifying degrees will be able to earn their bachelor's degree from Wingate, a private liberal arts college located just a few miles over the county line, for $2,500 per year. Combined with early college programs the college already offers, it would be possible for a student to  earn a four-year degree from Wingate at age 20 and a tuition cost of just $5,000. Even when books, materials and other ancillary expenses are considered, the total cost of the degree would be somewhere around $10,000.

If that's not a competitive advantage for Anson County, I don't know what is.