Nonprofit vocational trade center gives students a second chance and career

CHARLOTTE, NC —  For the past six months Dwayne Stroud has been working in a car garage as a tire technician – it’s  the start of a career as a mechanic that he didn’t think was possible. 

“I come from nothing. I would say I broke a lot of generational curses as well,” Stroud said. 

It all started with a decision to go to NCIA  vocational trade school. 

“I wanted something better for myself and I know by going there it would have been a good start,” Stroud said. 

NCIA’s VTC offers an option for students who were previously incarcerated or economically disadvantaged to continue their education with an alternative to college. 

The VTC provides free, hands-on training and certifications in HVAC, automotive repair, and commercial driving.

“I think it’s a good alternative because it’s a quick way to get credentials and start a career path that’s going to get you living wage employment,” NCIA VTC program director Christine Poltawsky said. 

For Stroud,   it gave him the hands-on skills that he’s using now. 

“The learning process of this and doing it professionally, it would have taken me a lot longer if I wouldn’t have gone through the program,” Stroud said. 

With the cost of college rising and high rates of  student loan debt, NCIA leaders say the program could help students avoid debt and still have a successful career. 

“It’s nice to walk away with a skill and no debt,  versus a degree in debt and being kind of unsure where that path is going to land you,” Poltawsky said. 

For Stroud, who says he couldn’t afford college, it gave him a chance to have a career 

“I get to say I’m a mechanic, so, you know, it’s a different meaning behind it, so I just, I thank the trade school for allowing me to say that because I probably wouldn’t be here without it,” Stroud said.