In late 2005 as part of its strategic plan, the Glenn Foundation’s Board of Directors adopted a goal to dialogue with other foundations to address major community needs. The Foundation hosted a luncheon for Gaston County philanthropists and foundation representatives in April 2007 to discuss ways to address needs through projects that could be funded jointly. In follow up meetings, Gaston County’s then three major foundations – the Community Foundation of Gaston County, First Gaston Foundation, and the Glenn Foundation – sought a project to address economic development or quality of life issues in the Gaston community. They agreed to work together, build ongoing financial support into their grant budgets to address the need, and identify a new initiative every three years. Any project they adopted needed to have county-wide impact, bring about significant change, and have built-in accountability measures.
After over a year of study, the philanthropic partners adopted as the first project Gaston Career Climb, launched in October 2008. Career Climb is a community collaborative run by Gaston Together: Communities of Excellence through a contract with the Gaston Regional Chamber. It is designed to reduce the Gaston County dropout rate, promote economic development, and provide the means to put individuals in meaningful jobs. The program is based on the Career Readiness Certificate [CRC] and WorkKeys skills assessment and training.
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It provides students, workers, and employers a nationally-standardized, portable credential guaranteeing proficiency in applied mathematics, reading for information, and locating information - critical skills workers need and employers require. Certificates are issued at bronze, silver, and gold levels. In its first year, Gaston Career Climb graduated 774 Career Readiness Certificate [CRC] holders through Gaston College and met or surpassed all goals in the first year of operation.
Gaston Career Climb collaborative partners include fiscal agent Gaston Together: Communities of Excellence, Alliance for Children & Youth/Communities in Schools, Gaston County Economic Development Commission, Gaston College, Gaston County Schools, Gaston Regional Chamber, Gaston Together/Gaston 2012, JobLink Career Center/Employment Security Commission, and the Workforce Development Board. Additional funding partners include the David Belk Cannon Foundation and Duke Energy.
For more information on Gaston Career Climb, click here to visit the website or contact Dr. Ed Smith at 704-864-8687, extension 103.
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