The City of Monroe has been named a Good Jobs, Great Cities Destination City, only one of 16 nationwide, as part of a new program by the National League of Cities (NLC) and the US Department of Labor (DOL).
The Good Jobs, Great Cities Academy is a new initiative from the NLC aimed at creating innovative and scalable city-supported workforce development initiatives that advance workforce development and skills training to prepare workers for industries such as infrastructure, clean energy and advanced manufacturing.
As part of the recognition, the City of Monroe hopes to bridge the skills gaps between high-paying jobs in the precision manufacturing sector and the city’s workforce, particularly the unemployed and underemployed workers.
Mayor Holloway and the City of Monroe are kicking off the work of this initiative with a two-day symposium on Wednesday, October 25, at the Fire Station #4 Community Center and Thursday, October 26, at the Dowd Center Theatre in Downtown Monroe.
“The opportunity this program presents the City of Monroe is incredible,” said Mayor Marion Holloway. “We have a unique opportunity to pave the way for the residents and workers of our city to develop new skills, earn certifications and get jobs with our local Monroe employers. With this recognition, we can help bridge the gaps between our employers looking for workers and those who want that work but don’t yet have the skills.”
The 16 Destination Cities were chosen in a competitive selection process throughout 2023. Monroe was chosen specifically due to the combination of precision manufacturers, academic partners, public-private partnerships and community partners in the city.
As part of the program, Monroe established a cohort of partners that represent stakeholders throughout the city:
The “Mayor’s Symposium for the Good Jobs, Great Cities Academy” will allow invited guests to learn more about the initiative and engage directly with NLC, US DOL, policymakers, city officials and community partners to uncover the barriers facing manufacturers and the workforce.
“We are excited about the opportunity to bring key stakeholders from across Union County to the table, hear directly from them and share a bit more about how we plan to move forward with this recognition,” said Teresa Campo, Monroe Community Development Coordinator.
“Monroe is only the second city to facilitate this learning session with our service agencies and the teams from the National League of Cities and Department of Labor and the first to facilitate a meeting between manufacturers and federal policymakers through this program.”
During the second day of the symposium, manufacturers based in Monroe will have the opportunity to hold roundtable discussions and share challenges or barriers they face when hiring skilled workers.
“Our goal from this event is to give our employers and service agencies an open forum to tell us what they need, share their pains and give us a clear direction on how to solve these challenges,” Campo added. “We feel that this program will be successful if we can create 30-40 local, high-paying jobs for Monroe residents. This symposium is the critical first step towards that goal.”
To learn more about the Good Jobs, Great Cities Academy and the National League of Cities, please visit https://www.nlc.org/initiative/good-jobs-great-cities.
To learn more about Monroe’s local participation in the program and its project goals, please visit https://www.monroenc.org/goodjobsgreatcities.