NC workforce development may need to change

DURHAM – Companies across the Triangle and the state are competing for an important, limited resource: talented, skilled workers. That’s one reason why workforce development conversations are occurring statewide, including at a Thursday conference.

After a blockbuster year for North Carolina’s economic development efforts in 2021, and with 2022 outpacing 2021 according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce, talent will continue to be in demand for the foreseeable future.

At least, that’s the understanding of the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, which hosted a conference on education and workforce on Thursday in Durham.

Where would those workers come from, and will they have the skills necessary to fill the high-tech roles expected in the future, as clean energy jobs and jobs in the state’s electric vehicle sector, semiconductor industry, and life science sector are all anticipated to grow?

One possibility is through extending the ongoing work of the state’s community college system, said J.B. Buxton, the president of Durham Technical Community College, during a panel discussion at the conference.

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But in order to meet the labor demand, said Buxton, the state’s approach to funding for community colleges, workforce development, and economic development may need to change, and change quickly.

Changes to workforce development coming?

“Companies and students don’t really care which side of the line Wake Tech is on and which Durham Tech is on,” said Buxton. “They want a great job or access to talent.”

Already, eight of the state’s community colleges are collaborating to meet the demand for 7,500 new jobs in electric vehicle manufacturing announced earlier this year when VinFast selected Chatham County for a $4 billion automotive assembly plant and electric battery manufacturing plant, said Buxton.

“This is where economic development has to go when it comes to community colleges,” said Buxton. “Especially in labor markets, where people and jobs cross lines all the time.”

The future workforce, for those 7,500 roles, or for others, does not just materialize, said Buxton. “It is a process to move people to understand what it is, get the training, and you need upfront capital to do that,” said Buxton. “But that is not how we are funded.”

It’s a 20-year-old approach, noted Buxton. “We have to change quickly.”