Social Health and Indicators
Chapter 2: Poverty As indicated by the secondary data, Durham County is currently undergoing an economic boom. Per capita income increased from $25,540 in 1997 to $29,903 in 1998 (GDCC, 1999), and the county enjoys an unemployment rate of 2.3% (North Carolina Department of Commerce, 1998). However, economic growth has not positively affected all county residents, particularly minorities and those who do not have professional or technical skills. Current jobs are becoming more technologically oriented and may require higher skill levels than the traditional employment formerly available in the county. As blue-collar jobs continue to vanish, those who do not have high technical skills may be adversely affected.
When asked about Durham's economy one community member said, "There is a rising prosperity in Durham. But only low paying jobs are available to those without much education. What troubles me is the gap between this rising prosperity and the low income." Another Durham resident echoed similar feelings:
It is a good county to move to if you are educated because you tend not to have a difficult time finding a job. It is a really difficult place to find a job (if you have no education) unless you want to do a service type job.
The current employment situation may negatively impact the quality of many people's lives. As one community member said, "Unfortunately too many people are limited in their skills to these jobs, which places a major burden on family life, on their capacity to get housing, and other things."
When asked how to address income disparities one community member stated: I'd love to see the haves remember those who have fallen behind and become more generous with their skills, knowledge, and leadership, to reach back and pull folks along with them.
Residents repeatedly described the need for better job and skills training for those community members who are unable to obtain jobs that paid a living wage. They spoke of a variety of programs that already exist in Durham County to promote this goal. Some of these include the training of lay health educators in the Hispanic community, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, drug rehabilitation programs that also train clients in marketable skills, and continuing education opportunities such as those offered by Durham Technical College. Residents cited the need for expanded job fairs that include employment opportunities that require less education. Some community members would like to see an expansion of current job skills programs utilizing the cooperation of local churches and neighborhood groups.
Of particular importance, residents stated they would like to see more opportunities for people to learn the technical skills required for many of the better-paying jobs in Durham County. One community member suggested including computer skills training in the public school curriculum, saying, "If we could train our kids for the jobs that are going to be there in 2020 or 2010, we should start that right now in grade school level." Another community member also discussed the need to prepare young people overall for employment, including instilling a strong work ethic:
You're going to have to have programs… creative approaches where you reach out to these kids and young people and when the door seems like it's closing, be prepared to receive back those people who have walked out on yet another situation.
In conclusion, it was clear from speaking with community members and providers of Durham County that while the economy is growing, not all residents are able to benefit from that growth. To address this issue, residents would like to see an increase in the availability of job and skills training programs with a special focus on technical skills. While a number of programs do exist, it was surprising to discover that many residents are not aware of these programs. For example, several people were surprised and pleased to learn of the continuing education program available at Durham Technical College. As such, greater publicity and awareness of job training opportunities would be helpful to many residents. In addition, collaboration with the school system to enhance technical training might provide a valuable addition to the educational curriculum.
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Social Health and Indicators |
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