Jul. 30—CLYDE — Leaders across North Carolina are striving to ensure the workforce of tomorrow will be equipped to meet the ever-changing needs of society.
In turn, that should lead to communities where workers can earn a family sustaining wage.
During a western regional meeting conducted jointly by MyFutureNC and N.C. State University's Institute for Emerging Issues, the challenges — and opportunities — to enhancing a competitive environment across all sectors was discussed at length.
Educators, business leaders and economic development officials met in Clyde to discuss the shrinking talent pool in the state that's necessary to maintain its competitive edge, one that tops the nation in many sectors now.
Titled "Promoting Educational Attainment at the Local Level," the purpose of the gatherings that will be held across the state is not to "write long papers, but do what we're doing today. Bring people together and ask about what we can do together to figure out a path forward," explained Pat Cronin, assistant director for policy and programs at the Institute of Emerging Issues.
The workplace is becoming increasingly automated, and the current labor shortage is speeding up the process.
"The lack of labor is pushing employers to turn to automation. It's not clear how it will play out, but every expert agrees there will be a very large disruption taking place," Cronin said. "Employees may hold on to their job but they will have to become more comfortable using machines."
Other factors that are disrupting the workforce of today, Cronin said, are the nation's aging society and the shift in demographics.
"We are becoming browner and grayer," he said, noting the age 65 and older population was 12% in 1990, but projected to be 20% by 2030.
Additionally, studies show North Carolina population will soon shift toward a majority of minority races — groups where many have traditionally struggled with education.
"We need every learner to become a worker because we will be having to support a larger percentage of population that's not contributing," he said.
A third workforce disrupter has been the pandemic, he said, and has been particularly harmful when it comes to education achievement.
Aligning skills, needs
Both MyFutureNC and the Institute for Emerging Issues have been pushing to match employees of tomorrow with the needs of the industries of the future.
"Currently fewer than half of North Carolinians ages 25-44 hold a high-quality credential or postsecondary degree," according to a handout at the gathering. "The result? Our education system and our economy are out o sync. Job seekers struggle to find jobs and employers struggle to find the talent they need."
To address what Cronin called a "talent crisis," the N.C. General Assembly embraced the goal set by the two groups — to plan for 2 million more citizens in the state to obtain a credential by 2030.
A credential is not necessarily a university diploma, but could be training needed to pass tests and show proficiency in fields such as welding, plumbing or construction. Even with the 2030 legislative goal, the mismatched skills and workforce need will persist.
"If we stay on the trajectory projected in 2019 of increased degrees and credentials," the report reads, "by 2030, we will still fall short by at least 400,000 individuals with the skills needed to fill our state's projected jobs' needs."
County by county
Before the pandemic, the state had 1.45 million adults between ages 25 and 44 with a high quality degree, said Cecelia Holden, president and CEO of MyFutureNC, but the educational challenges that cropped up in the past several years are hindering the ability to meet the 2 million goal.
Holden stressed the importance of breaking down the 2 million state goal to a county-by-county goal. The information packets had a breakdown of the educational achievements for each county that showed the steps needed to reach the county goal, a number based on current population and that projected for 2030. In Haywood, an additional 795 individuals between the ages 25 and 44 will need to earn a degree or certificate.
Breaking that down even farther, an additional 78 students need to be enrolled in the NC Pre-K program; 743 more 3-8 graders need to earn college and career ready scores of a level 4 or 5 in reading, while 1,289 more 3-8 graders need to earn college and career ready scores of a level 4 or 5 in math.
For high school, the goal for regular school attendance has been met, but 59 more 9th graders need to graduate within four years and 79 more seniors need to complete the federal student aid application.
Data shows that Haywood ranks higher than its peer counties in three areas — the percentage of graduates who enroll in a postsecondary institution within 12 months (59% v. 57% for peer counties;) the percentage of students who persist in their advanced education to the second year, (78% v. 73% for peer counties;) and the percentage of students who earn a degree ore credential within six years (58% v. 50% in peer counties.)
"North Carolina is on fire," Holden said, referencing the recent announcement that the state was recognized as the nation's top state for business. "That's a big deal, but with jobs comes high expectations of employers. We had a talent crisis before the pandemic. Now we have a talent state of emergency. We need to bring in high school learners and adult learners."
The state is definitely up to the challenge with its 58 community colleges, 16 public universities and 36 private colleges, she said.All rely on a public education system that prepares the future workforce for the challenges of post-secondary learning.
Following the prepared remarks, individuals from each county participated in break-out sessions where they could assess if they were on track to meet the attainment goals.
Those at the Haywood table — HCC President Shelley White, Michael Coleman, HCC's vice president for student services, and Haywood Chamber of Commerce President CeCe Hipps — concluded Haywood goals were on track.
The 2019 data didn't include the 80 additional Pre-K slots made available at Shining Rock Classical Academy nor some of the community college credentials that are on deck. These include new career readiness programs in health science, construction-related, lineman and truck driving careers. When this information is considered, the goals are within reach, White said, but warned those in the county will need to stay vigilant.
All at the gathering agreed that providing a labor pool better suited to the labor market of the future will require partnerships at multiple levels and that employers need to be included, too.
Industries can help train the up-and-coming generation, it was suggested, by offering internships and outreach programs to help draw students into their field.
