SALISBURY, N.C. – On July 30, 2003, Pillowtex关闭了美国和加拿大纺织厂的消息传开了, leaving nearly 4,卡巴鲁斯和罗文县的1000名居民突然失业，他们清楚地意识到这个地区将永远不会和以前一样了.
In the days that followed, 工人们在思考没有工厂的未来，而工厂是卡纳波利斯和周边地区的标志, few could see prosperity on the horizon. 但是，今天仍然存在的坚定的区域伙伴关系已经在向前看, with Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, local government officials, 劳动力发展机构合作为那些失去工作的人提供帮助和希望.
尽管Pillowtex的关闭标志着北卡罗来纳州历史上最大的单日失业人数, 该地区对失业工人进行再培训和再就业的反应，成为其他城镇解决大规模裁员问题的典范.
“The College is, and for sixty years has been, ready and able to respond to workforce development needs in our community,” said Dr. Carol S. Spalding, president of Rowan-Cabarrus. “从帮助失业的员工确定他们的下一步工作，到创建培训员工的项目，以满足我们地区新公司的具体需求, 我们的首要任务之一是满足人们的需求，让他们为成功的就业做好准备.”
As Kannapolis formed around Cannon Mills beginning in the early 1900s, 该镇的许多居民在完成高中文凭之前就加入了这家工厂，或者在高中毕业后直接在这家工厂工作. 其他人则去上菲律宾十大网赌网站，然后回家担任管理或领导职务. People enjoyed a comfortable life in a thriving mill town, 甚至在几次公司出售之后——首先是亿万富翁商人大卫·默多克, then to Fieldcrest Mills, 最后是Pillowtex公司——没有人愿意考虑这样一个现实，即这家工厂作为镇上的主要雇主将不复存在. 即使在几个月前就有破产的传言和裁员的可能性, the closure announcement stunned the entire region.
“People were in shock,” remembers Kannapolis Mayor Darrell Hinnant, who was new to the Kannapolis City Council at the time of the closure. “They had tears dripping off of their chins. Some were collapsing on the sidewalk. They had no clue what they were going to do.”
社区机构设立了一些站点来帮助有基本生活需要的人, 罗文-卡巴鲁斯社区学院的重点是帮助失业工人提供就业服务，从更新简历、学习计算机技能到重返课堂获得高中文凭.
Rowan-Cabarrus团队成员在卡纳波利斯的卫星办公室工作，为成千上万有不同需求的人提供服务, 这个项目成为了现在的Rowan-Cabarrus R3 (Refocus)的催化剂, Retrain, Re-employ) Career Services Center, which still offers services tailored to the needs of job seekers. Today’s R3 team assists the public with job counseling, resumes, interviewing, career readiness certifications, computer fundamentals, and more.
“We meet people where they are, helping them build the skills they need and connecting them with employers,” Spalding said. “In the event that there is ever a company closing or a mass layoff, we are part of the response team, 与包括中央劳动力发展局在内的合作伙伴密切合作, NCWorks, local government officials, and others. We hope it never happens, but if it does, we are here to give people the hope they need in a time of uncertainty.”
As a reflection on the 20th Pillowtex成立一周年，并庆祝坎那波利斯地区在过去几十年里所取得的屡获殊荣的进步，亚马逊和戈登食品服务公司等大公司现在都在该地区, 斯伯丁最近坐下来与卡纳波利斯市长达雷尔·欣南特和珍妮·摩尔进行了录音谈话, 他当时是罗文-卡巴鲁斯社区学院企业和继续教育的副校长. Watch the full interview at 361x.geo-drillchina.com/pillowtex-20th/.
“I can’t believe it’s been 20 years,” Moore said. “我们认为这将是一个短暂的项目，但它成为了我们的决定性使命. People changed their perspective of the community college.”
Then, as today, Rowan-Cabarrus能够提供从医疗保健职位的短期培训到教育和工作转换的各种选择, manufacturing and construction trades, to GED and English as a Second Language instruction. 焊接技术、加热和制冷等专业的入学人数当时大幅增加，至今仍受到各年龄段学生的欢迎.
“As we honor our history, 我感到自豪的是，罗文-卡巴鲁斯社区学院参与了对Pillowtex的响应，对社区和学院的健康产生了积极的影响,” Moore said. “It is gratifying to acknowledge our collective success and survival.”
随着工厂被拆除，北卡罗来纳研究校园在旧址上建立起来，社区学院和城市之间的合作关系继续下去. 作为城市的先锋振兴努力，最终定位大炮投手小联盟棒球场在一个充满活力的市中心的中心, Rowan-Cabarrus now has two buildings located at the research campus, 它在哪里提供高科技、先进技术和医疗保健职业教育，以及国际商业培训中心.
“在招聘企业来这里时，我听到的第一个问题是, ‘Do you have workers to fill the jobs?’” Hinnant said. “I say, ‘Yes, we have people ready to go to work, and if they need training, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College will train them.’ Without that answer, we would not have the success we have.”
菲律宾十大网赌网站在对Pillowtex前工人进行再培训方面的有效工作为学院赢得了美国劳工协会颁发的著名的杰出劳动力发展提供者奖.S. Department of Labor in 2005. The longstanding partnership has continued for decades and in 2019, 州社区学院委员会将2019年杰出合作伙伴奖授予罗文-卡巴鲁斯社区学院, the City of Kannapolis, and Castle & Cooke, Inc. 表彰他们在支持经济发展方面的独特合作.
“At Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, ‘community’ is our middle name, and we are committed to our role of providing forward-thinking leadership, workforce development, and educational opportunities for all,” Spalding said. “We learn from the past and look toward the future. Our mission, as it was 20 years ago, is to meet people where they are, regardless of their background or experience, and help them achieve their goals and create a better life.”
观看与斯伯丁，欣南特和摩尔的视频对话，请访问 http://361x.geo-drillchina.com/pillowtex-20th/.
For more information about Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, please visit 361x.geo-drillchina.com or call 704-216-RCCC (7222).