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Moderator Kirk Bradley (left), chairman, president and CEO of Lee-Moore Capital Company, and panelist Jerry Pedley, president of Mertek Solutions in Sanford, were part of a group discussing how community colleges can collaborate with industry and help students prepare for a successful career in manufacturing.

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Presenters representing organizations statewide discuss workforce education during a morning break at the NC Works Career Coach Orientation in Sanford. They are, from left: Shannon Brown, director of counseling and advisement services for Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in Hudson; Catherine Moga Bryant, deputy assistant secretary in the Division of Workforce Solutions at the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Dr. Lisa Chapman, senior vice president and chief academic officer for the North Carolina Community College System; and Virginia Mallory, director of secondary partnerships at Central Carolina Community College.