During a recent visit to the Coca-Cola Consolidated facility in Charlotte, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein had a firsthand look at the company's apprenticeship program which partners with Central Piedmont Community College. This initiative, underscored by Stein's tour, strives to furnish employees with the training and skills to ascend the manufacturing career ladder. As reported by QC News, Stein emphasized the broader societal implications, saying, "I think that it really just creates greater chances for people to build that life that they want for themselves."
In conversation with Business North Carolina, Tim Duhart, a former truck driver turned diesel mechanic through the apprenticeship program, highlighted his journey. “I was driving a truck because I had to. I had a family to feed," Duhart explained, "but I always was more interested in fixing big trucks rather than driving them." His story is one of the focal points underpinning Stein's advocacy for vocational learning alternatives sympathetic to those not pursuing four-year college degrees.
Moreover, Dave Katz, Coca-Cola Consolidated's President and COO, articulated the mutual benefits of such workforce development efforts. Katz told QC News, “It gives people a chance to start a great career, build a great career and have an opportunity for their family,” reinforcing the program's alignment with the company's mission to serve the community. He indicated the apprenticeship's role in supplying the facility, which employs about 900 individuals and produces 40 million cases annually, with skilled labor.
Since assuming office, Governor Stein has been a proponent for economic growth through education and job creation. According to WCCB Charlotte, Stein has been instrumental in bringing over $18 billion of investments and over 24,000 new jobs to the state, further cementing the relationships between education, industry, and economic expansion. Coca-Cola Consolidated, boasting an extensive workforce of about 17,000 employees across multiple states, exemplifies such synergy between corporate citizenship and regional development.
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