Workforce development Coverage

Guest column: Preparing students for the Triangle’s IT job market

The IT employment landscape, just like all hiring trends, is constantly changing. 

How they voted: NC congressional votes for the week ending April 11

A look at how North Carolina members of Congress voted during the previous week.

Targeted News Service

4-day workweeks may be around the corner. A third of America's companies are exploring them

Nearly one-third (30%) of large US companies are exploring new work schedule shifts such as four-day or four-and-a-half-day workweeks, according to a KPMG survey of CEOs released this week.

By Matt Egan, CNN

How immigrant workers in US have helped boost job growth and stave off a recession

How has the economy managed to prosper, adding hundreds of thousands of jobs, month after month, at a time when the Federal Reserve has aggressively raised interest rates to fight inflation -- normally a recipe for a recession? Increasingly, the answer appears to be immigrants.

By PAUL WISEMAN, GISELA SALOMON and CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, Associated Press

NC community colleges seek $100 million more to revamp training

North Carolina community college leaders have a big ask for state lawmakers this year: a $100 million restructuring of workforce training programs.

Laura Leslie, WRAL capitol bureau chief

North Carolina residents need more degrees, certificates to meet job demand, new report says. But it's getting better

North Carolina education and business leaders say the state needs more funding, along with policy changes, to help lower-income residents earn credentials toward jobs.

Emily Walkenhorst, WRAL education reporter

North Carolina leaders seek more career prep in K-12 schools

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce on Thursday published a toolkit to help businesses provide more hands-on learning opportunities for K-12 students.

Emily Walkenhorst, WRAL education reporter

Study shows employees want, need additional education to embrace AI

While employers know they need to add staff with a strong combination of AI and critical thinking skills, almost 75% say they struggle to find that combined skill set, and that employees will need additional training and education.

NC TECH, MetLife join to create Center for Technology Workforce Innovation    

The NC TECH | MetLife Center for Technology Workforce Innovation will serve as a hub for the  state’s tech employers and employees providing resources, thought leadership and collaboration with  the overarching goal of fostering growth and vitality in North Carolina’s technology sector. 

Community college enrollment is down. Here’s what will happen to workers and the US economy if it doesn’t come back

Even as employers nationwide are struggling to find qualified workers, community college enrollment is barely beginning to recover from a two-decade steady decline and an even steeper dive when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

Triangle has economic strengths greater than national averages

While the economy is expected to slow down this year, the outlook for the Triangle is a little better.

NC furniture company closes unexpectedly with 500 layoffs, second furniture company to close this month

Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams first opened in 1989 and was ranked #60 in the most recent FDMC300 list of North American wood product companies.

Wake County Economic Development survey seeks insights to regional workforce needs

Workforce quality is a key indicator for the region's growth and vitality according to the WCED. The economic development organization and its parent organization, the Raleigh Chamber, are seeking to use the survey data to anticipate developing needs.

Gov. Cooper discusses CNBC naming NC as top state for business for second year in a row

WRAL anchor/reporter Debra Morgan spoke with Gov. Roy Cooper about CNBC naming North Carolina as the top state in the U.S. for business.

Where to find workers? NC thought leaders, execs talk strategy, tools, obstacles

On the heels of National Small Business Week, entrepreneurs were treated to a day of sessions devoted to helping them identify, recruit, and train talent. While unemployment remains well under 4% and with nationally some 9 million job openings, companies from small to large, new to established, face workforce challenges. There are ways to fight the problem, executives were told Tuesday.

Small businesses, workforce development pros to tackle post-pandemic talent issues

Small Business owners, entrepreneurs, and Workforce Development professionals will be headed to the RTI Holden Building Tuesday for a full day of collaboration. NC IDEA and the North Carolina Association of Workforce Development Boards are partnering to host the event, focused on tackling small business challenges and sharing best practices.

NC students would start career planning in middle school, under proposed bill

Senate Bill 193 passed through the Senate Education and Higher Education Committee on Wednesday.

Emily Walkenhorst, WRAL education reporter

NC schools aren't preparing students to enter workforce, report says

The state's goal is to have 2 million people with a certificate or degree by 2030 -- a figure some believe will likely need to be adjusted higher.

Emily Walkenhorst, WRAL education reporter

Report: NC at 'forefront' of clean energy transformation which could mean more jobs, investment

A new report on economic development argues that NC is likely to continue to attract major investment, due to an expanding clean energy sector across the state.

Novo Nordisk donates $6M to Durham Tech, will partner on life science workforce programs

Novo Nordisk announced on Wednesday morning that it would donate $6 million to Durham Tech and collaborate on workforce programs.

Gearing up for $5B expansion, Wolfspeed partners with Durham Tech to boost workforce

A collaboration between Durham Tech and Wolfspeed has trained dozens of workers for technician roles as the company looks to compete for talent.

Workforce crisis: Shortage of child care employees keeps parents from getting back to work

Childcare providers are asking state lawmakers for more funding and looser rules to help them keep their doors open. They say they're caught between rising costs and decreasing funding.

Laura Leslie, WRAL capitol bureau chief

Where the jobs are: Manufactuers need NC's skilled workforce

Gov. Roy Cooper cited "the most talented, skilled, diverse workforce in the country" in welcoming guests to a manufacturing summit at SAS.

See what the $3.8B Toyota plant will look like as Toyota commits $1M to community organizations

Toyota announced it would make two $500,000 investments in community organizations in the Triad, where it will build an electric battery plant, this weekend.

‘First-of-its-kind’ program to train visually impaired as digital accessibility testers

Durham-based Ablr Works has teamed up with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Services for the Blind (DSB) to kick off the initiative this month. Read more here.