ASHIBORO, NC — You know how it is, the transition from high school to college into the work force can be daunting, but one program is trying to change that.
“Today we are launching the North Carolina Graduate Career Program here at Asheboro High School. In this program we will teach students 37 competencies to build their lifelong skills, so they know how to do things like shake hands and make eye contact, be a team player, learn leadership skills, and plan for their future.” ,” said Executive Director of Communities in Schools, Jill Cox.
over the past five years, Jobs for north carolina graduatesJNCG, or JNCG, is partnering with high schools across the state to help prepare the next generation of workers.
“JNCG is, in my eyes, a program to help you prepare for life. A lot of kids say, ‘Man, why doesn’t high school help me write a resume? Why won’t high school help me with taxes? “Why doesn’t it help me get ready for work?” said Elijah Hawkins, a junior at Asheboro High School.
ViaJae Johnson, another freshman at Asheboro High School, said, “JNCG is a class that helps my career, it’s like the future I wanted, and it helped me with everything including my social skills and everything.”
Thanks to a $500,000 donation from Toyota to their parent organization Communites in Schools, JNCG has been able to expand its reach.
“We started with eight schools and we’re growing year on year and we do that because of partnerships like Toyota, at the end of the day we can programs because we have partners that help us support the business and make it possible,” said Cox.
6 weeks later, Asheboro High School 6 weeks later, students are already seeing results.
“I think it helped me personally because my grades have been keeping high grades, and my attendance is better than it used to be last year,” said Yaspeth Aliju, a student at Asheboro High School.
“It helps your resume, gives you a range of relationships, and I was offered a job at Toyota,” Hawkins said.
Cox – “Every time I watch one of our students go from, ‘I’m not sure how to do it,’ to a lightbulb that works, you see that smile, that charisma, that inner confidence pop up. They get this really cool glow. It gives me goosebumps.” Every time I see them, I know each and every one of them has amazing potential,” said Cox.