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Give N Go team of instructors and leadership inside a Charlotte training facility
Our Story

A Charlotte nonprofit built for real jobs.

We train disadvantaged youth and adults for careers in construction, skilled trades, and technology, then connect them to the employers hiring.

Mission

Why Give N Go Exists

Give N Go empowers disadvantaged youth and adults by providing hands-on training in trades, technology, and workforce readiness. We connect education directly to career opportunities and long-term economic mobility.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg region has a wide gap between people who need careers and employers who need workers. Vocational schools cost thousands. Justice involvement, no high school diploma, or unstable housing keeps motivated learners locked out. Generic STEM programs train people but never connect them to real apprenticeships or hiring partners.

We answer that gap with a structured pipeline: Education to Training to Certification to Work Experience to Employment. Hands-on trade training, technology education, leadership development, and mentorship sit on top of one credential the federal government recognizes: PACT.

Vision

Every Charlotte resident has a real career path.

Regardless of background, age, or record, our vision is a Charlotte where every person who wants to work in trades or tech can find the training, credential, and employer that fits.

80%

On Track Academically

PACT trainees maintaining 2.5+ GPA.

90%

Internship Placement

Active placement rate across cohorts.

70%

Employment or Continued Education

Outcomes after program completion.

80%

Trained on Current Tech

Hands-on with industry-current tools and stacks.

Give N Go instructors gathered inside the Charlotte training space
Give N Go workshop interior with lumber racks, welding booths, and IT lab stations
What Sets Us Apart

A Trades + Tech Hybrid Pipeline

  • USDOL-Recognized PACT

    The only major Charlotte trade-training nonprofit using a federal pre-apprenticeship framework. Our peers run NCCER. Our credential lives on the USDOL roster.

  • Trades + Tech Under One Roof

    Carpentry, HVAC, fiber optics, IT, cybersecurity. One workforce pipeline covers everything from a residential rough-in to a Charlotte data center cable.

  • Whole-Person Support

    Life Skills Training, Guiding Good Choices parent training, restorative justice, and behavioral support. Outcomes hold because the supports do.

  • Charlotte Market Alignment

    Built for local workforce needs. Aligned with Home Builders Association employers, the Charlotte data center boom, and NC broadband expansion.

Leadership

Meet Our Leadership

Jerry Hayes, Executive Director of Give N Go

Executive Director

Jerry Hayes

Jerry Hayes brings 15+ years of workforce development and skilled-trades programming to Give N Go. His focus is direct: connect people who need careers to the training and employers that can make those careers happen. At Give N Go, he runs the partnerships with Home Builders Association employers, CompTIA, Cisco, and NC Central University that turn program completion into actual job placement.

Partners

Who We Work With

Our outcomes depend on the strength of our partner ecosystem: federal recognition, industry curriculum, employer hiring, and academic alignment.

U.S. Department of Labor

PACT credential recognition

CompTIA

A+ partner curriculum

Cisco

Networking Academy partner

Home Builders Association of Greater Charlotte

Construction pipeline

North Carolina Central University

Higher-ed partnership

Get Started

Help us power Charlotte's workforce pipeline.

Apply, refer a student, sponsor a cohort, or partner with us. Every path moves a real career forward.