Cemala is an advocate for enhanced Career and Technical Education courses and programs in Guilford County. These are courses at the high school level and programs at the postsecondary sub baccalaureate level, which focus on the skills and knowledge required for specific jobs or fields of work.
Aviation
Ceasar Cone II, who along with his wife Martha established The Cemala Foundation, had a commitment to aviation and served as the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority of twenty-six years. That service led to Cemala Board members’ interest in encouraging higher graduation rates in aviation in Guilford County.
GTCC – Aviation Program and Scholarships
From 2013-2016, Cemala invested $932,500 in the expansion of aviation programs at Guilford Technical Community College (GTCC) and in scholarships for students in the expanded programs. GTCC’s goal was to add an additional 90 students to its aviation programs.
The Cemala Foundation supported this initiative by investing in faculty salary, supplies, equipment, administrative support, and scholarships to support four strategies:
- Adding a fourth cohort of 25 students for the Associate Applied Science Degree for the FAA Airframe and Powerplant license
- Adding a program to help veterans with aviation mechanic/technician military experience to accelerate through a program to meet requirements to take the FAA Airframe and Powerplant license exam
- Adding a cohort of 20 students for the avionics program
- Increasing student scholarships
Andrews Aviation Academy
Over 2013-2018, Cemala invested $250,350 in summer internships, machinery, and aviation clubs (Team America Rocketry Challenge [TARC] Club and Young Aviators Club) at The Andrews Aviation Academy, part of the Guilford County School System. The Academy strives to provide a solid foundation for the ever-growing aviation workforce by offering internships, job shadowing, college credit, hands-on real-world learning experiences, and knowledge to students who wish to enter the aeronautical field. In addition, it aims to provide the student with enough skills to either go straight into the workforce with minimal additional training or a solid foundation to succeed at a four-year degree program.
Guilford County Schools offers students in grades 9-12 from across the district the opportunity to learn all things aviation at The Academy. Instruction at The Andrews Aviation Academy is inquiry-driven, technology-enhanced, and problem-based. The Academy provides a jumpstart to a career in aviation preparing students for college and giving them a head start on the technical training needed for certification by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Academy offers five aviation career pathways: Engineering, Pilot, Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) Mechanic, Avionics Technician and Airport Management. The goal is for students to realize a variety of benefits from The Academy, and the community to realize a pipeline of skilled pilots, avionics technicians, airframe and powerplant mechanics, and engineers for the aviation community.
Forge Greensboro – Makerspace
Forge Greensboro is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit community makerspace. It is a place where hands-on people can gather to work on projects while sharing ideas, equipment, tools, and knowledge. Forge’s Mission is to foster a creative and collaborative environment for experimentation and development in making, skill building, technology, and art through interacting with the local community, through education and cultural participation, and through sharing the experience of making
both locally and globally. Members of the Forge come from diverse backgrounds. Students, entrepreneurs, artisans, trade professionals, tinkerers, and hobbyists enjoy the space, community, and resources of Forge Greensboro.
Background: In 2012, the founders of Forge Greensboro were meeting in coffee shops. They were a group of hobbyists, tinkerers, artisans, and students who wanted to work and collaborate by merging their tools into one place and building a community makerspace. They found a space on 115 West Lewis Street, in an almost forgotten area of downtown. Because the building was once the local blacksmith, the founders coined the new makerspace “The Forge.”
Today, Forge is located at 219 West Lewis Street. This building, once the auxiliary livery stables, increased the facility to 8,000 square feet. Visible from Eugene Street, the gateway to downtown Greensboro, Forge Greensboro’s increased space is now capable of hosting startup entrepreneurs, college student projects, artisan a
ctivities, and educational programs.
While providing workspace, tools, classes, and collaborative innovations, Forge is a downtown revitalizer. Cemala has been a supporter since 2018.
UNCG – MPA Program 
The Master in Public Affairs Graduate program at UNCG is an important part of training next-generation leaders in the nonprofit sector and in public service. Through this program, students are offered three concentrations from which to choose:
- Community and Economic Development
- Local Government Management
- Nonprofit Management
Since 1999, The Cemala Foundation has supported this program and the opportunities it affords its students.