SANFORD – The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) is hosting a two-day event that brings together economic development leaders and stakeholders in counties across the state to address topics surrounding talent and workforce development.
The Energizing Rural North Carolina conference takes place October 8-9 at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center in Sanford. In coordinating the event, the EDPNC teamed up with the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the NC Rural Center, the NC Economic Development Association, the Golden LEAF Foundation and NC State’s Institute for Emerging Issues.
Throughout the two-day event, speakers will present their case studies addressing three areas: talent attraction, talent retention and talent development. Between presentations, attendees can participate in 15-minute roundtable sessions to discuss these topics more in depth.
The case studies and projects on the agenda include Graham County’s healthcare initiatives, AB Technical Community College’s support for returning citizens, the RAMP East (Regional Advanced Manufacturing Pipeline for Eastern NC) initiative, workforce development in Burke County, the Caterpillar Youth Apprenticeship Program, and a presentation on talent attraction from Development Counsellors International.
David Joyner, president of Joyner Media & Strategies in Rocky Mount, will deliver a keynote speech on day two of the conference. (Check out WRAL TechWire’s profile of Joyner and the new generation of entrepreneurs in Rocky Mount.)
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Energizing Rural NC is the second annual conference of its kind. EDPNC held the first event last summer, focusing on five building blocks of economic development in rural communities: infrastructure, workforce, education, health and local leadership.
A snapshot from the 2018 Energizing Rural NC conference, hosted by the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. (Photo courtesy of EDPNC)
This year’s event takes a deeper dive into the rural workforce in North Carolina.
Mary Wilson, EDPNC’s communications manager, says organizers are expecting a turnout of around 160 people, including local economic developers and civic leaders, event partners and sponsors and EDPNC board members and staff.
“They are coming to the Energizing Rural North Carolina conference to explore workforce issues in rural areas of the state and to learn about some creative and effective approaches to address them,” Wilson said. “It’s all meant to inspire attendees to develop and implement local initiatives that will support the workforce pipeline in their own rural communities.”
Tickets cost $150 and are available here. Attendees can follow along using the event hashtag #EnergizingRuralNC.
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