NCCBI
Working for Progress
Workforce summit chaired by Myers releases recommendations
 Gordon Myers (left), chair of NCCBI as
well as the N.C. Economic Development Board, released a list
of detailed recommendations on improving the workforce and
economy of North Carolina after leading a two-day summit in
Greensboro that ended Feb. 28. During the summit, the
state’s leading economic developers, educators and private
industry representatives met with the governor, the lieutenant
governor, the Commerce secretary, members of the General
Assembly and others to discuss workforce issues.
“North Carolina is already ahead of the curve in workforce
development in many ways. We have tremendous resources
already—great people, great employers, and among the finest
community college and university systems in the nation,”
said Myers. “Now
is the time to bring all the pieces together under the banner
of prosperity for all of North Carolina. I believe our
summit’s recommendations provide actionable, realistic
tactics to make this goal a reality.”
Leading up to the summit, seven regional workshops were held
across the state to capture the input of local communities and
employers. Issues raised during the regional workshops were
tackled head-on by summit participants in a number of work
sessions and round table discussions.
Sessions facilitated by leading North Carolina economic
developers were supplemented with expert guidance and
commentary by nationally-known leaders in workforce
development, including Michigan-based economist and consultant
Patrick Anderson, workforce expert Dr. Richard Judy, Author of
Workforce 2020, and new economy expert Dr. David Kolzow, chair
of the Department of Economic Development and Planning,
University of Southern Mississippi.
The
summit was kicked off by a keynote address from Gov. Mike
Easley, who expressed support for workforce development as a
critical issue facing North Carolina.
Two-thirds of the more than 63,000 layoffs announced in North
Carolina in 2001 were in manufacturing and many of those jobs
won't return when the economy improves. Replacing
those jobs requires a work force with more skills and an
education system that better prepares young people for work
and retrain others who are laid off, he added.
On Thursday, Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue shared her insights into
workforce development during a lunch meeting just before the
summit’s recommendations were released.
Perdue said, “I believe there needs to be a
consolidation of workforce efforts… to provide a consistent
and streamlined means to respond and pro-actively engage in
workforce development.”
Following the conclusion of the summit, Myers said, “Our
community college system has long played a vital role in
workforce development, so we were pleased that representatives
from nearly 30 of our community colleges participated and
provided substantial leadership and guidance.
Our recommendations take into account the diversity of
North Carolina’s workers and their needs, as well as what we
have learned about the current state of North Carolina’s
economic base and our projections for the future. We believe
putting these recommendations into action will save jobs in
North Carolina by giving our existing employers a competitive
edge in workforce development, as well as create new jobs by
attracting new companies to our state through workforce
development.”
Recommendations for improving workforce development in North
Carolina include:
Improve School Curriculum
Encourage work ethic, character, and other
“soft-skills.”
Enhance career opportunity training in middle and high schools
through additional training and certification for teachers and
counselors.
Increase Participation
Facilitate business participation in determining education
curriculum.
Coordinate, at the cabinet level, curriculum in the K-12,
community college, and university systems.
Sharpen Focus
Emphasize retention of existing businesses.
Enhance Marketing
Better market existing one-stop employment services, through a
statewide marketing program and enhanced web portal.
Improve Administration
Review the best practices for delivering workforce training,
unemployment insurance, business climate, and economic
development among competing states, and establish performance
benchmarks for North Carolina.
Consolidate workforce-training programs within the state
government for the purpose of coordinating efforts,
establishing a common vision, and strengthening the one-stop
system.
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