Taylor Vick, Stacy Barron, and Lauren Enns have more in common than they knew. All three are from Greene County and they all enrolled in the Lenoir Community College Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act program after graduation from high school. While their stories are different, their end results are the same – their training has led to a promising career.

Vick graduated from Greene Central High School in May of 2020. She was interviewed and determined eligible for WIOA in June of 2020. She enrolled in Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) class at the LCC Greene County Center in Snow Hill, and began a paid work experience at a doctor’s office in Greenville. She successfully completed her CNA class, and passed the state exam. She also completed her hours at her first paid work experience and was eligible for another.  “This being her second and final work experience for the program year, we looked for a worksite where she could put all the skills she had learned in class to work,” said WIOA Career Advisor Tracey Price. An agreement was established with Hookerton Family Practice and Taylor began working there in December of 2020. She completed her hours and was hired in April 2021. She is currently enrolled in Pre-Nursing curriculum at LCC and employed with Hookerton Family Practice. 

Barron enrolled in WIOA in September of 2020 after graduating from Greene County Early College High School in May. She obtained a certification in Optical Assistant class through LCC’s ED2Go online class.  “We began looking for a worksite where she could put her training to work,” Price said. “She was a client at Atlantic Eye Center in Goldsboro so that is the first place we inquired.  They agreed to partner with us and give Stacy an opportunity to gain hands on work experience.” Excited to begin this new job, Barron did well and was given great feedback on her evaluations, but she said she felt like she wasn’t measuring up and catching on fast enough in certain work tasks.  “She never gave up and persevered, always with a great attitude and a willingness to learn,” Price said.  After completing 520 hours and receiving a good final evaluation, Barron was hired and she said she loves the career she has now. 

Enns enrolled in WIOA in October of 2018 after she earned her GED, now known as High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) from LCC in 2013.  She was interested in a career in healthcare, and began taking healthcare classes. She did very well in her classes, worked as a certified nurse assistant and was getting ready to exit the WIOA program when the pandemic hit. She was pregnant during that time, and had a young son at home to care for and decided not to continue working in direct care in healthcare. “Helping her switch careers, we began searching for worksites,” Price said.  A paid work experience was established at Hookerton Town Hall, where she began a position at the Hookerton Town Office & DMV office located there. She was trained, and mentored during her time there. When she had worked all the hours allotted, she was hired as an office assistant.”  

Price said she was proud of these students as they faced challenging situations during 2020. “They did not give up, they pressed on, and kept a great attitude and practiced a strong work ethic,” she said. “It paid off for each of them, and I am so proud of each one of them.”

For more information on the WIOA program, contact Price at (2.