For the second year in a row, President Barack Obama's State of the Union address included a North Carolina success story to illustrate what's working well in U.S. manufacturing and job skills training.

Obama's speech Tuesday highlighted Jackie Bray from Kings Mountain, who retrained at Central Piedmont Community College after being laid off from her job as a packaging mechanic. Her studies helped her land a job in August at Siemens Charlotte Energy Hub, which opened a state-of-the-art gas turbine plant in the fall.

"I want every American looking for work to have the same opportunity that Jackie did," Obama said. "It is time to turn our unemployment system into a re-employment system that puts people to work."

Last year, Kathy Proctor, who was retraining for a biotechnology career at Forsyth Technical Community College, got the presidential nod.

All that high-level attention isn't a coincidence, educators and manufacturers here say. There's much about North Carolina's story, they say, that can serve as a national model, as industry in the region shifts from textiles and furniture-making to high-tech manufacturing jobs.

State retraining dollars, partnerships between businesses and colleges, and donations from big companies all help the manufacturing sector, experts say. The Obama administration could further provide a boost, with funds, incentives to U.S. manufacturers that keep jobs here, and a focus on training.

Scott Ralls, president of the N.C. Community College System, said the federal government can set the tone by promoting innovation.

"If we want to have a strong manufacturing base, the government has to play a role to some extent," Ralls said. "We've always been an innovative country. But a lot of times if you come up with the idea but don't create it, ... that's what we're in danger of losing in the U.S."

The role of government

When it comes to government involvement, some say less is more - especially in the form of regulations.

Brad Muller, vice president of marketing for Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, a 110-year-old manufacturer, says the "regulatory tsunami" from the Obama administration, from environmental controls to health care reform, make it expensive or restrictive for companies to do business here.

Regulations "are driving up the costs for U.S. manufacturers, so if they're going to build a new facility, it forces them to look overseas," Muller said.

Katherine Miller of Charlotte-based Nucor Corp., a steel maker, said U.S. manufacturing needs the government to enforce trade laws and upgrade infrastructure. "Our economy is only as strong as our manufacturing sector," she said. "We need to make and build things in America."

Businesses that are training their own pool of skilled workers for high-tech manufacturing jobs could benefit from tax breaks, says John Friguglietti with Max Daetwyler Corp., a maker of high-tech printing equipment in Huntersville.

The corporation co-founded Apprenticeship 2000, a 16-year-old program that links area high school students to training at CPCC through one of seven area manufacturers. Friguglietti, apprenticeship coordinator for his company, said each participating company spends $150,000 over four years on college training and salaries per student.

Help from private sector

Educators say help from the private sector has been crucial for schools looking to modernize their manufacturing programs.

Schools in the community college system received $14 million through a Duke Energy grant program that supports training in manufacturing and related industries. The money is helping two dozen colleges with their programs, including purchasing the high-tech equipment that replicates what's found in factories.

"Some of the colleges still have World War II-era equipment," Ralls said. "The Duke funding allowed us to move beyond that."

Meanwhile, growth continues at Siemens Energy. Its new turbine plant has created 700 jobs with 400 more to come - enough people to churn out $400 million in exports annually.

Mark Pringle, director of operations for Siemens Energy in Charlotte and Bray's supervisor, said Bray earned the honor to be recognized by Obama.

Pringle said Bray tested for a job at Siemens but wasn't successful at reading blueprints. She took classes at CPCC, came back and passed the test.

Bray now works at the plant as a process operator, using her skills in laser and robotics training.

"We're producing products that are being exported out of the U.S.," Pringle said.

"We're very happy and proud to be used as an example of how we're employing Americans, and partnering with local community colleges to get the training."