COLLABORATIVE EFFORT: Economic developers, businesses and community colleges are working together to fill critical gaps in North Carolina's workforce.

• Author: Saylor, Teri
• Position: HIGHER ED: CONTINUING EDUCATION

North Carolina needs workers. The number of jobs has outpaced the size of the labor force in 78 of the state's 100 counties over the last three years, according to a recent report from NC Chamber Foundation, an arm of the NC Chamber that searches for solutions to challenges faced by businesses and communities statewide. It expects that trend to continue. N.C. Department of Commerce reported that the state's June seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.4%, which is less than what many economists consider full employment.

In response to the shortage, efforts are underway statewide. Gaston Business Association, which promotes and supports companies and economic development in its namesake county, for example, is working with 24 manufacturers, who forecast they'll need to fill 3,000 jobs--mostly machine operators, maintenance technicians, supervisors, electrical control technicians, inspectors and materials handlers--by the end of next year. "We are seeing a 90% gap between job demand and talent supply," says Vincent Ginski, GBA's director of strategic initiatives. As a first step to meet workforce demand, he introduced the Talent Pipeline Management program to the county early this year.

TPM is an initiative of NC Chamber Foundation and U.S. Chamber Foundation, which is dedicated to strengthening the country's long term economic competitiveness. TPM helps employers identify and fill skills gaps in their local workforce. "The TPM framework is a laser-focused employer-driven approach to increasing the quality and quantity of our talent supply," Ginski says. "It leverages the collective voice of our industry partners, educators and workforce partners to build and improve talent pipelines. Participation and engagement have been great. Our employers are excited and ready to get to work on building solutions. In the span of seven months, we've already done a good job of gathering and analyzing data and setting goals, and now it's time to execute our strategies."

Ginksi was one of 23 business leaders who attended a recent U.S. Chamber Foundation-sponsored TPM Academy. The month-long initiative drills down on strategies for driving workforce development, says NC Chamber Foundation President Meredith Archie. "When individuals graduate from the TPM Academy, they go back into their communities and bring employers together to explore the skills needed," she says.

TMP is part of Vision 2030, NC Chamber Foundation's long-range plan, which was developed...