Carolina Across 100

The University of North Carolina announced Wednesday (June 1st)  that 37 counties in North Carolina will receive a variety of supports in their efforts to connect young adults with jobs that pay a living wage. Lincoln is one of those counties.

Divided in 13 'teams,' (Lincoln County is team 3), the program, known as "Our State, Our Work" and alternately as 'Carolina Across 100,' was announced in March by Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz.

“The University is eager to enhance partnerships and create new opportunities for members of our workforce,” Guskiewicz said. “As our state addresses inequities created and exacerbated by COVID-19, Carolina Across 100 will connect young people with education and living-wage
employment opportunities in North Carolina by bringing community leaders from across the state together to collaborate and bolster one another’s work.”

The 13 selected groups represent urban, suburban and rural areas covering 37 North Carolina counties working together to tackle the challenge of inspiring youth ages 16-24 to pursue education or paid work.

Teams will meet for a kick-off in mid-June, and for their first forum at UNC-Chapel Hill in mid-September. Throughout the two-year program, the 13 teams will meet for a series of forums to share their vision for collaborative efforts to support Opportunities.

Nationally, the overall unemployment rate for workers 16-24 jumped to 24.4 percent in Spring 2020 versus 11.3 percent for workers 25 and older. Those with the lowest levels of education--less than a high school diploma--fared the worst. Those 16-24 year olds who are not in school or working, have a higher percentage living in poverty.

Lincoln County's total unemployment rate soared to its highest level in history--13.8%--In April 2020, but for the population as a whole, it was back below 4% by February 2021 and is currently (April 2022) at 2.9%.