ASHEBORO—Tammy Wall, an employee of Regional Consolidated Services (RCS) of Asheboro, speaks with enthusiasm about her job with the agency’s Building Futures program in Alamance county. It’s obvious she enjoys helping school dropouts build their futures in available educational opportunities and in gainful employment.

                Wall serves on the RCS staff based in Burlington. She’s the designated Youth Coordinator with specific duties relating to the 14-21 age groups, in which a majority of dropouts find themselves. Over the last three years, Wall notes, more than 1,300 students in Alamance county left school for one reason or another.

                As part of her employer’s Workforce Development team backed with federal grants derived from the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of Congress. Wall has been privy to the organization and expansion of the Alamance Council for Dropout Prevention, an alliance Of Alamance Citizens for Education and eight partner agencies, including the RCS Building Futures program.

                The alliance took shape at a meeting called to explore options for school dropouts late last fall. Its mission was to see to it that all students succeed. Wall says the first phase of the joint effort is complete; that it was evident from an August meeting that the community is still together.

                Has all this been a rewarding experience for Tammy Wall? “Absolutely,” she exclaimed in an interview recently. She is excited about the increase in goals for Building Futures, pointing out that particular stress is being placed on enrolling prospects in the community college environment.

                Wall’s effectiveness in her job has won recognition from her superiors in the Asheboro headquarters of Regional Consolidated Services. Linda Parker, director of the agency’s Workforce Development program, gives high marks to Wall’s job performance in addressing a difficult social problem in Alamance county and nationwide.