AHOSKIE – The Hertford County Business and Industry Council will host Tony McKnight at their 10:30 a.m. meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at the Ahoskie Chamber of Commerce.

McKnight serves as a Regional Apprenticeship Consultant with the North Carolina Department of Commerce- NCWorks Apprenticeship program. His coverage area extends from Guilford County to the northeastern counties of the state.

Registered Apprenticeship programs offer employers the tools to develop a highly skilled workforce to help grow their business, and employees the opportunity to earn salaries while learning the skills necessary to succeed in high demand careers.

“We have opportunity and the raw material in the Roanoke Chowan region to self-determine a stronger, more reliable and more sustainable course for our economic future, said Amy Braswell, the Executive Vice President of the Ahoskie Chamber as well as the Hertford County Business and Industry Council.

“We lose too many potential members of our labor force after graduation,” she continued. “The net effect is a general reduction in the quality of life for all stakeholders in the community. We need to develop career opportunities, and to do so we need to train a skilled workforce to fill existing and attract new positions.  Retaining our young citizens will bring energy and vibrancy into our cultural scene, increase consumer demand which will result in more amenities being offered and which in turn, will attract population growth, revenue growth and increased investment. Mr. McKnight will discuss options of how we might change this course and examples of how others have done it successfully.”

Prior to joining NC Commerce, McKnight spent three years as Business Services Representative for Orange County with the Regional Partnership Workforce Development Board. His job duties consisted to assist area businesses in hiring, and training needs within Orange County. He spent three years with the NC Employment Security Commission as an Employment Consultant, assisting businesses and clients with workforce training needs.

McKnight has eight years of teaching experience within the NC Public School system, in the area of Career and Technical Education. He has a vast amount of experience in workforce and economic development, and training.

“We must begin to do things differently, give practices that have not worked a rest, and share and embrace methods that are successful or surely our outcome will not change. Please email me at the Chamber of Commerce (abraswell@ahoskiechamber.net) to let me know that you or a representative plan to attend,” stated Braswell.