WILMINGTON — The planned transition of the federally funded NCWorks Career Center to Cape Fear Community College has collapsed just over one month after the contract was awarded. A problem with the college’s background check policy led to the partnership dissolution and has left NCWorks without a place to operate physically.
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NCWorks is a network of career centers — 95 in North Carolina — and helps job seekers find employment. The local center, once located at 1994 S. 17th Street, assists roughly 4,000 individuals a year in Columbus, New Hanover, Pender and Brunswick counties. Programs include career counseling, job training, providing scholarships, and connection to employers.
Locally, NCWorks is governed by the Cape Fear Workforce Development Board and their parent group, the Cape Fear Council of Governments. It operates on an annual budget of $2.6 million in federal money from the U.S. Department of Labor, distributed by the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Division of Workforce Services.
The Cape Fear Workforce Development Board is responsible for contracting out NCWorks’ daily operation of services and overseeing the federal funds for their area. Funds are broken down to support adults and dislocated workers and youth.
The CFWDB manages the money by sending out requests for proposals to contract with third-party organizations — such as community colleges or private firms — to run the NCWorks career centers. For the last several years, the staffing and human resources company Two Hawk Workforce Services handled personnel and contracting.
In September this year, CFCC was supposed to take over as the service provider after being awarded a one-year contract for adult and dislocated worker programs on June 11, 2025. A contract has not been finalized for the youth program, though it would still be housed with NCWorks’ physical office on CFCC’s campus.
But that agreement dissolved after the college asserted NCWorks was “unwilling” to adhere to mandatory background check standards, CFCC spokesperson Christina Hallingse said. The college campus has the policy in place for any on-campus employees who would be working near and with students.
According to Cape Fear Workforce Development Board Director Ginger Brick, the background check requirement was “not disclosed earlier” in the contract process by CFCC.
“Partner agency staff raised concerns about CFCC’s non-employee packets, which required personal documentation, waivers, and background checks,” Brick stated.
Though upon being asked, she wouldn’t name the partner agencies. Brick added the board has “no influence” over CFCC’s background check requirement.
Port City Daily asked the Division of Workforce Services, as the overseer of NCWorks’ funding, about its policy for enforcing staff background checks and reporting of criminal history at grant-funded career centers. DWS did not answer by press.
Despite the CFWDB’s assertion the dissolution was an administrative issue, sources familiar with the program believe the background check dispute was directly related to the eligibility of one staff member due to the nature of their position and a previous criminal record.
Court records from Suffolk County, New York, confirm Christopher Loliscio was originally convicted in 1991 for a count of intentional murder, felony murder and rape of a 14-year-old. While he maintained a not-guilty plea, a jury found him guilty on all charges.
Upon appeal in 1994, the rape conviction and a corresponding felony murder charge were reversed and dismissed. The conviction for murder in the second degree — intentional death without premeditation — stood. Loliscio served 27 years before his release on parole in 2018. He was hired by NCWorks in 2022 as a one-stop operator/building manager for the 17th Street career center, according to his LinkedIn.
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Enforcement Guidance under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, an individual cannot be automatically excluded from employment in a government-funded program simply due to a felony conviction. Any denial must be job-related, which requires an individualized assessment from the employer considering the nature of the offense, time passed since the crime, and the nature of the job sought.
CFCC’s policy states previous convictions shall not automatically disqualify an individual from employment. The HR team evaluates multiple factors, including the nature of the crime and its relationship to the position, the amount of time since the conviction, and whether hiring the applicant would pose a risk to the college, students, employees, or other campus visitors.
Still, Brick called the college’s requirement “surprising” considering CFCC’s open campus downtown and their past work with re-entry programs. CFCC’s bid to house NCWorks also came with the agreement to provide services under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which includes an emphasis on reentry.
The act explicitly designates individuals with criminal records as a population facing a “barrier to employment” that the program is designed to overcome. According to NCWorks’ website, it utilizes the federal objective to target and serve justice-involved individuals with training, case management, and employment services. For program year 2022-2023, NCWorks served just over 600 participants identified as “ex-offenders” through WIOA-funded employment services statewide.
Brick definitively denied Loliscio’s employment had any bearing on the CFCC contract dissolution: “No individual could possibly have had influence in decisions regarding the NCWorks’ relocation or the dissolution.”
Sources formerly employed at NCWorks had no evidence otherwise, though they noted Loliscio was recently named youth program manager and raised concerns about his presence in the role based on his prior conviction.
The youth program manager position is a high-level role within the NCWorks system that oversees career services, training, and support specifically for minors and young adults ranging from ages 14 to 24. Responsibilities include supervising staff and attending high-school career events.
When contacted for comment, Loliscio denied holding the youth program manager role and stated he had no knowledge of why the transition to CFCC failed.
Losliscio at first offered to meet the Port City Daily reporter in person: “I believe this meeting would present a success story and one that would be welcomed by underserved and lived-justice vulnerable populations like myself that could uplift those in these trying economic times. In addition, I am a husband and a father and is the CFCC matter relevant to harming innocent people with your news report?”
When Port City Daily responded offering a phone call or virtual meeting, Losliscio declined. He added “NCWORKS could better answer” questions regarding the failure to transition to CFCC.
August emails obtained by Port City Daily confirm the appointment of Loliscio as the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Youth Program Manager.
Though CFCC’s contract doesn’t include NCWorks’ youth services, employees working on the youth programming would be housed on CFCC’s campus, and thus still subject to the college’s background policy.
The dispute over background checks has left NCWorks without a home. NCWorks made the move onto CFCC’s campus in the G building, alongside the college’s other workforce programs, in mid-August, and its 17th Street lease expired Sept. 30.
Sources familiar with the inner workings, but who asked to remain anonymous, told Port City Daily in the final days of the 17th Street center, roughly 100 people came through seeking help, but staff was unable to assist due to a lack of equipment. All computers, furniture, and WiFi were removed from 17th Street by Sept. 23, leaving remaining staff unable to properly assist job-seekers. Instead, NCWorks’ staff directed them to the public library where they could access a computer, but could not help them navigate online career resources.
Brick, however, stated throughout the transitional period, there was “no disruption to jobseeker or business services, as services continued virtually and at physical hub sites by appointment.”
To secure an alternative site for operations and help oversee the full transition, Brick stated the board is working in collaboration with Division of Workforce Services.
Since the CFCC contract fell through, the CFWDB initiated a new bidding process to find a replacement administrator. Brick stated WIOA services for New Hanover and Pender counties will be managed “in-house” until new providers can be procured. She added WIOA funds have not been “interrupted” by the failed transition.
The NCWorks network operates under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, the primary federal law governing public job training programs. The WIOA was approved by Congress in 2014, intending to connect job-seekers with training and high-quality careers, jobs while helping employers find and retain skilled workers. The program is federally supported by WIOA Title I funds from the U.S. Department of Labor, which is then administered by DWS, subgranting funds to 20 workforce development boards across North Carolina.
Contracts are typically awarded in May or June to align with the federal program year, which begins on July 1. The agency currently has an RFP for payroll and staffing services for WIOA-funded programs posted on its website, indicating it plans to utilize a staffing firm to hire and manage the personnel for the recently disrupted career services. The term of the new contract would run about three months less than the typical program year, spanning from Oct. 13, 2025 to June 30, 2026.
Port City Daily submitted multiple inquiries to the state DWS, responsible for administering the federal WIOA funds, requesting information on:
- Whether DWS has initiated a formal investigation into the CFWDB’s management of WIOA funds.
- DWS’s policy on employing staff with prior murder convictions in programs serving minors.
- Whether the CFWDB would now be responsible for directly administering the program if a new contractor could not be found.
DWS Communications Director David Rhoades did not specifically answer any questions, but did respond with a statement: “Our Division of Workforce Solutions takes its role in managing federal funds seriously and maintains a rigorous approach to assessing and supporting the performance of WIOA grant recipients, as we follow all applicable laws and regulations.”
Right now, operations of NCWorks are limited, with virtual assistance and in-person appointments by request for job seekers. Brick said they hope to have a physical location by Nov. 1, but wouldn’t provide more details.
[Ed. Note: This article was updated to include comment from the Division of Workforce Services]
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