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New study highlights N.C. work force demands

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Editor's note: WRAL Local Tech Wire has added another feature with the launch of the "Innovation Exchange." Noah Garrett, former executive director of communications for the North Carolina Technology Association, is a creative spirit, from writing music to news stories, who owns and operates NGC Communications. The focus of the Innovation Exchange is just that – creating a Web community through which people can exchange ideas and foster creativity.

Participate in the Exchange. Send ideas and feedback to: noah@thinkngc.com

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — What is "missing" with the current work force? What does success look like? What is working well? What can best fuel a company's success? What is the greatest concern for future growth and prosperity, as it relates to North Carolina's work force?

These are all critical questions business leaders face on a daily basis throughout the state, and a new independent study released earlier this month provides some vital insight on two technology growth clusters and their work force needs to compete, grow and prosper sector growth in North Carolina.

Those sectors investigated in “work force Demands For Success” included defense and security and engineering and computing services. (I was among those helping to compile the report.)

A select group of technology leaders convened in May to discuss "next steps" from findings in the UNC Tomorrow Campaign and to engage and advocate a call-to-action in addressing the perilous situation that exists in relation to the "leaky pipeline" of the state's work force in the future.

“The most significant overall finding was the current challenge and the perceived shortage of U.S. citizens that are STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) educated individuals with Active Secret (or above) Security Clearances or individuals whom have the ability to obtain one,” the report said.

The UNC Tomorrow Campaign was initiated to determine how the university could respond more directly and proactively to the 21st century challenges facing North Carolina both now and in the future. This new study helps better identify the industry clusters in North Carolina, probe the vitality and status of the current work force in those clusters, project the needs for each industry 5-to-7 years out, and most importantly, examine the gaps in skill sets in their present work force to find what's missing.

“The central theme of the two industry clusters studied was obvious – both demand accelerated change,” the report says. “This theme was verified in each of the focus group meetings by business leaders who work in a globally competitive marketplace with a constant and keen eye on the competition, trends and work force pipeline.”

This was verified in each specific sector of the report by business leaders who participated in focus groups held throughout the state at IBM, Lenovo, UNC Charlotte, the Partnership for Defense Innovation's Defense & Security Technology Accelerator, and Cisco Systems. According to the report, more than 100 of North Carolina's leading advocates on future work force and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education needs provided critical dialog about past, present and future scenarios in the corporate marketplace.

The report concludes that by the mixing of critical elements around two highly important sectors for the state's future economy, a partnership with education leadership could become a catalyst for change and create a sustaining reaction that will precipitate change in the curriculum design and address these critical shortages.

This report takes a good look at ways to address those identified, immediate challenges and to work with K-20 education leaders to consider better curriculum alignments, collaborations and/or study. It is a quick scan of current work force issues specifically in these two industry sectors as we all work to meet challenges and capture opportunities for economic growth in North Carolina.

This report is worth a read.

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