State Superintendent Catherine Truitt and NC Sen. Jim Burgin presented Harnett County Schools with a $40,000 grant for Career and Technical Education programs.

In an effort to continue to support the construction trades in Career and Technical Education programs and classrooms across NC, the General Assembly allotted $200,000 for the State Superintendent to award to Public School Units (PSUs) via the CTE Grants for Homebuilding Programs.  

Funding priority was placed on PSUs located, in whole or in part, in a county with at least one local school administrative unit that received low-wealth supplemental funding in the previous fiscal year and that have a high population of at-risk students or students with disabilities. These grants will assist public school units with program costs associated with CTE homebuilding programs and costs associated with implementing the U.S. Department of Labor approved Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training (PACT) program, developed by the Home Builders Institute.

Superintendent Catherine Truitt shared in a press release that she is “thrilled to present grants for career and technical education programs related to homebuilding to ten school districts across the state, including Harnett County Schools. Using this funding, Harnett County Schools will be able to expand its work-based learning opportunities for students at all four high schools and enhance its programs that connect CTE students with local industry partners who can mentor and eventually hire them. As North Carolina’s population continues to grow, the skills students are learning in these courses are preparing them for jobs that are critical to our state’s workforce. Worldwide, the demand for homebuilders and other professionals in the skilled trades is projected to increase by more than three million in the next five years, making these occupations among the fastest-growing of any industry.”

According to CTE Director Lindsey Hardee, the award from the "Grants for Homebuilding" will supply schools with practice materials and tools necessary to prepare for the 2024 BUILD “Broadening Understanding for Intentional Local Development" Harnett event that will be held the week of May 13-16 at Central Carolina Community College, Harnett Main Campus. 

BUILD is a work-based learning opportunity addresses the deficit of construction trades professionals regionally, prioritizing local business and industry partners. The event is a platform to educate post-secondary partners, local workforce and other stakeholders on the talent HCS CTE students possess. The event also provides an opportunity for students to learn about the multitude of opportunities, many in their hometown, awaiting them upon completion of their high school CTE architecture and construction pathways.