The support and input from our amazing partners in the health and human services field is instrumental to the success of NCCARE360 in North Carolina. Today, we are sitting down with Renee Hinton, Assistant Center Manager at NCWorks Career Centers Clayton to discuss their achievements, experience with the network, and vision for the future.
How would you summarize NCWorks’s work and your role in particular? What populations does NCWorks serve?
NCWorks Career Centers assist people with training and employment and everything in between. We provide one on one assistance with resume writing, career counseling and exploration, job search, training, interviewing, etc. We connect people with jobs and connect talent to employers’ job openings. We can assist employers with labor market data, staffing challenges, employee/applicant skills gaps, and outplacement services. Our center serves the adult population, while the youth population is served by NCWorks NextGen Centers. Our services are free to applicants and employers. At NCWorks Career Center Clayton, my role is to assist in the center’s operations, oversee staff, assist customers, coordinate programs/activities, work with partner agencies, etc.
Currently, what are your biggest challenges at NCWorks? How do you deal with them?
Our biggest challenge currently is matching the skills of people with the requirements of the positions available. However, we have a variety of programs to bridge this gap. We provide opportunities for educational training, work experience, on the job training, and apprenticeships. We also offer free workshops on a variety of subjects and to a variety of populations. We also face marketing challenges, as most of our marketing is through word of mouth. NCWorks – Clayton has only been in the area for a few years, but we are always happy to try to spread the word of who we are and what we do.
What accomplishments are your team most proud of?
Our awesome staff serves an average of 600 people a month in our office. In addition, we have customers who connect with us through our website or call center. We are very proud of our work and that it helps citizens to not only be productive contributing members of our community, but also helps them to provide for their families. As for the employers, we are happy we are able to assist them to grow and stay in North Carolina.
How has NCCARE360 impacted the way you deliver care? What has surprised you?
Before NCCARE360 we used a notebook of resources which we had to update regularly and became cumbersome and time consuming. NCCARE360 provides one place to go for resources. We are able to make multiple referrals in a short amount of time knowing the information is current, and the receiving agency will respond. I believe the NCCARE360 is a great resource, and the surprising part is how easy it is to use. It is very user friendly in my opinion.
What was it like for your organization before working with NCCARE360? And afterward?
Before NCCARE360, we could make a referral and not necessarily know if the person received help unless we followed up and spoke with the agency or client. Now we are able to follow the progression in NCCARE360.
Based on your experiences so far, how do you see NCCARE360 impacting the standard of care in North Carolina?
Once the system is expanded to cover North Carolina, I can see us making referrals to anywhere in the state for our clients! Many citizens do not stay in one place and may move around. This will allow us to be able to connect people with resources anywhere in the state easily and efficiently. It allows our state to be connected on a resource level that has not been available before. There are many resources available in NCCARE360, and it is a database that can expand as time goes. Allowing all of North Carolina to be connected in assisting our citizens with many needs across our fine state.
What advice would you give to an organization interested in joining NCCARE360?
Join! It is such an easy way to connect your clients with resources across the state. It also allows providers across the state to connect with you — a win-win situation for providers and clients. Send referrals through NCCARE360, and we will be glad to help your customers as well.
We hoped you enjoyed our NCCARE360 partner spotlight interview. NCWorks Career Center – Clayton is located at 8988 US Highway 70, Business West Suite 100, Clayton, NC 27250. You can visit them at their office or visit the NCWorks website, a statewide database for applicants and employers, at NCWORKS.GOV. If you have any questions about their services, please call the Clayton office at (919)-553-0953. If you would like to contact NCCARE360’s Community Success Team please fill out the form located here.
