NCWorks Career Advisor Selected as Recipient of Governor’s 2020 Wayne Daves Award for Outstanding Achievement in Workforce Development
NCWorks Career Advisor Earl Wright was recently selected as the recipient of the Governor’s 2020 Wayne Daves Award for Outstanding Achievement in Workforce Development. The Charlotte Works Workforce Development Board nominated Earl for his outstanding accomplishments in helping job seekers.
The annual award honors one front-line staff person who has significantly contributed to the workforce development system, above and beyond their standard professional responsibilities. President of the North Carolina Directors’ Council Pat Sturdivant said, “Excellent customer service is the key to the success of our system. Getting North Carolina ‘job-ready’ requires the continued dedication of people like Earl, who work hard to serve the citizens of this great state.”
Earl was recognized for his exceptional customer service, innovation, and creativity in the delivery of services, and for the positive image he promotes for the workforce development delivery system. In 2018, Charlotte Works partnered with Mecklenburg County’s Community Resource Center (CRC) to better serve individuals with barriers to employment within the community. The CRC provides a variety of support, including child support enforcement, veteran services, food and nutrition, Medicaid, and job-related services like computer access, finding job leads, and hiring events. Charlotte Works Director of Programs Shemia Williams said, “The partnership included sending Earl to meet those individuals where they were and to assist in removing barriers through coaching, rapid employment, and access to training scholarships. Since June 2018, Earl’s contributions resulted in the placement of 589 job seekers with employment whose salary ranges are between $28,000 and $64,000 per year. These numbers are unprecedented and reflect his passion, commitment, and success beyond what we ever could have imagined through this partnership.”
His contributions have helped expand individuals’ access to jobs and provide supportive services to individuals who have significantly removed multiple barriers to employment, changed the trajectory of their lives, and ultimately fostered economic mobility for individuals and their families. Shemia said, “Earl’s contributions have been applauded by employers and community partners to the point that he is revered as a model career advisor and job coach by our board of directors and community partners. So much so that one of our community partners, Freedom Communities, which provides access to affordable housing, employment, and education for our underserved population, recently requested that Earl provide job coaching to individuals that have been impacted by the pandemic.”
Congratulations, Earl! Thank you for your commitment to “Creating Opportunities and Changing Lives” in North Carolina.