NORTH CAROLINA LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AREA PLAN
Program Year 2014
Regional Strategies for Workforce Development
Introduction
North Carolina’s workforce system includes businesses, organizations, agencies, employed and un-employed
persons, training and educational institutions and youth. To enhance service to all these constituents, aligning
workforce development planning and services with regional labor markets is both efficient and productive.
Communities and regions recognize that to be successful, economic development goes hand-in-hand with a
well-functioning workforce development system. North Carolina’s emphasis on the value of regional efforts is
also supported in the Workforce Investment Act (Regulations Section 661.290). The inclusion of a specific
regional section in the Program Year 2014 Local Workforce Development Area Plan is consistent with federal
and state direction and acknowledgement of local Workforce Development Boards’ efforts and commitment to
quality services and excellent performance.
The following questions are a means to capture the existing regional efforts among Workforce Development
Boards, as well as to provide guidance toward issues a regional planning approach may address. The following
regional configurations will be used:
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Western Region: Southwestern and Mountain Area WDBs;
Northwest Region: High Country, Western Piedmont, and Region C WDBs;
Piedmont Triad Region: Northwest Piedmont, Greensboro/High Point/Guilford County,
DavidsonWorks, and Regional Partnership WDBs;
Southwest Region: Centralina, Charlotte/Mecklenburg, and Gaston County WDBs;
North Central Region: Kerr-Tar, Durham, and Capital Area WDBs;
Sandhills Region: Lumber River, Cumberland County, and Triangle South WDBs;
Northeast Region: Region Q, Northeastern, and Turning Point WDBs; and
Southeast Region: Eastern Carolina and Cape Fear WDBs.
Description of Region
I.a. Identify the Workforce Development Boards comprising the regional configuration and counties
each serves.
Region Q Workforce Development Board: Beaufort, Bertie, Hertford, Martin and Pitt;
Northeastern Workforce Development Board: Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hyde,
Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell, & Washington
Turning Point Workforce Development Board: Edgecombe, Halifax, Nash, Northampton and
Wilson
I.b. Provide a reference name for the regional group, if applicable.
Northeast Region Workforce Development Boards
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I.c. Identify factors that contributed to the development of the regional collaboration and include
background and current status of regional group.
For over twenty years, regional collaboration amongst the Region Q, Northeastern and Turning
Point Workforce Development Boards has produced very positive outcomes for the citizens and
businesses of northeastern North Carolina. Many of our shared counties are rural in nature and
face similar struggles such as lack of transportation, high poverty, and lower economic status. Out
of 20 counties, four (4) counties are considered by the Department of Commerce to be Tier 2
counties; the rest are Tier 1. Communication between the three WDB Directors takes place on a
weekly basis. In addition to our Northeast Region relationship, our three Boards are also integral
partners in the following regional collaborations:
The Vision-East collaboration was originated to set the stage for a competitive workforce in
Eastern North Carolina. Our Vision-East mission is to ensure our workforce development system is
customer focused, demand-driven and accountable in preparing our current and future workforce
to meet the challenging need of a highly-competitive global economy. Vision-East collaborations
provide added value to our communities by ensuring that quality education, job training and
employment opportunities are available for job/training seekers and employers alike, thereby
improving the quality of life for our citizens throughout eastern North Carolina. Sharing many of
the same challenges we have worked towards a common message, erased any impediments to
geography or regional lines, and continue to work towards common policies. The Vision-East
collaboration consists of the Northeastern, Turning Point, Region Q, Eastern Carolina, Cape Fear,
Lumber River, Cumberland, and Triangle South Workforce Development Boards.
Eastern Region (WIN) Workforce Innovations Network. The WIN partnership was established to
focus on the region’s workforce development needs, priorities and innovations to ensure a skilled
workforce is available to retain good companies as well as attract new industries. WIN serves as a
connector for information sharing, identifying resources, and sharing best practices in workforce
development. These efforts support major economic development activities and investments that
are underway in the region. The WIN Network consists of the Eastern Carolina Workforce
Development Board, Region Q Workforce Development Board, Turning Point Workforce
Development Board, Eastern Economic Development Region, and several Community Colleges. In
addition to joint strategic planning, a decision was made to embrace and promote the use of
Career Readiness Certificates and profiling to identify a “work-ready” workforce to our regional
businesses and to help in economic development recruiting efforts. Our Eastern Economic
Development Region partners have contributed approximately $ 500,000 in resources over the
past three years to this effort. The collaboration continues to promote STEM activities.
Northeast Workforce Alliance was formed in 2008 to develop processes and infrastructures to
formalize regional collaboration and limit addressing workforce development and economic
development issues on an ad hoc basis each time a demand is placed on our systems. The
Northeast Region Alliance is dedicated to working regionally toward greater prosperity for
workers, job seekers and the business community. This greater prosperity can best be achieved
through broad cooperation and collaboration among members that will ensure near immediate
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response to economic development opportunities. Additionally, through our website, businesses
and individuals can locate needed information and services.
Pathways to Prosperity: The Region Q, Northeastern, and Turning Point Workforce Development
Boards are currently engaged in a new state initiative entitled Pathways to Prosperity (PTP). The
North Carolina State Board of Education, through a pilot, is seeking to engage employers, the
workforce system, and educators to build career pathways systems for high school students. Each
initiative is coalition of key public and private sector leaders committed to mobilizing and
sustaining political and financial support for the agenda and addressing legislative or regulatory
barriers that inhibit progress. The work initially focused on the Northeast and Southeast region of
North Carolina, but the long-term goal is to create a statewide system of career pathways that can
serve a majority of students. The Northeast initiative asked that the three WDB Directors serve as
Workforce Intermediaries and also asked that Walter Dorsey serve as Chairman. Members of the
Initiative include Career and Technical Education Directors and Teachers, Business
Representatives, Community Colleges, and Universities. To date, the PtP Initiative has published
pathways and curricula for the Health Care sector and is in the final stage of publication for the
Bio-Agricultural and Bio-Technology sector. Each school system in Northeastern NC has received a
copy of the publication/report.
I.d. Provide a brief synopsis of the region’s significant accomplishments during the past year.
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Increase in Career Readiness Certifications (CRCs) / “Work-Ready Communities”
Initiation of the Pathways to Prosperity Collaboration
Regional Energy and Allied Healthcare grants
Vision East 2013 Strategic Retreat
Implementation of the Integrated Service Delivery System
Coordination with the NC Back to Work Program
Business-specific collaborative recruitment plans and implementation
Addition/implementation of the Prove-It assessment system (to help businesses and job
seekers document specific skills needed for entry into employment).
I.e. Upload signed agreement(s) between/among the component Boards, if applicable. (Include vision
and mission statements if determined.) (Name document “[LA Name] Regional Agreement 2014.”
Example: Cape Fear Regional Agreement 2014).
Uploaded:
Yes
No (Region does not have signed agreement(s))
I.f. If the region borders another state, discuss interstate working relations and the other state(s)’s Local
Workforce Development Areas involved.
While no formal agreements are in place with the Workforce Investment Boards in Virginia, when
a demand is placed on our system, (usually a major layoff or plant closure event), collaboration
immediately takes place. In 2009, North Carolina Division of Workforce Solutions / Division of
Employment Services (DWS/DES) partnered with Virginia Employment Services to provide rapid
response assistance to International Paper, Franklin, Virginia. There were 170 customers affected
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by the massive layoff residing in both Virginia and North Carolina. North Carolina partners
included: Northeastern, Region Q and Turning Point WDB. Virginia partners included: Virginia
Employment Services, Paul D. Camp Community College and Opportunity Inc. A resource center
was created onsite of International Paper with all partners deploying staff and human resources.
Other historical collaborations centered on major layoffs at Ford Motor Company and in the
shipbuilding sector in the Norfolk/Newport News area.
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Regional Data
II.a. What sources of information does the regional group use and how is the information used to
develop a list of regional demand occupations? Include factors that impact the ability to identify
demand occupations.
Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI), Labor and Economic Analysis Division (LEAD)
(NC Commerce), and NCWorks are resources utilized by all three Workforce Development Boards
to analyze and synthesize data. These tools extract collected data from the US Census Bureau,
Labor Market Information and current data from employers to provide updated statistics and
forecasting capabilities surrounding occupational/industry needs. All eligible training providers
are approved or denied by the local workforce development boards, and this information is
provided by board staff to assist in making an informed decision, including occupational growth
demands, vendor profiles, total cost of training and performance evaluations. The regional
projections for year 2020 in the Northeast Region suggest that categories such as Professional
and Business Services (14% growth, additional 5,426 jobs), Financial Activities (16% growth,
additional 5,197 jobs), Education and Health Services (10% growth, additional 4,669 jobs),
Government (5% growth, additional 3,689 jobs), Leisure and Hospitality (4% growth, additional
1,576 jobs) and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (4% growth, 2,620 jobs) are in high demand.
(Northeast Region identified collected demand occupation listing is shown below). In addition to
this statistical information, dialogue is held between our Business Services Representatives and
local businesses and industry and the economic development community to identify/confirm any
new trends.
NWDB has an Economic Development Committee which works to strengthen relationships with
those entities involved in Economic Development in their region. Their goal is to make sure there
is an alignment with the projects local Economic Developers are working on and that it aligns
with their business recruitment plans. Great strides have been made in building those
relationships.
In Region Q, close working relationships exist between our five county Economic Developers. Our
Business Services Manager is often called upon to provide statistical data, to develop businessspecific collaborative recruitment models, facilitate the coordination of agencies resources, and
to trouble shoot barriers/challenges.
The Turning Point WDB continues a long lasting relationship with our local economic developers
by aligning appropriate resources for business recruitment and/or incumbent needs. To assist
our local economic developers TPWDB Business Service Coordinator convenes regular meetings
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with community college business/industry (workforce) managers, NC Commerce Division of
Workforce Solution (DWS) Local Office managers and guest employer(s) to discuss and regionally
develop solutions the meet business customer needs.
Industry Size and Growth
2014 - 2021 Size and Growth
Description
Agriculture, natural resources, and mining
Construction
Education and health services
Financial activities
Government
Information
Leisure and hospitality
Manufacturing
Other services
Professional and business services
Trade, transportation, and utilities
Total
2014
Jobs
13,960
18,422
44,564
32,061
74,233
3,900
35,391
39,222
23,629
38,466
62,142
385,990
2021
Jobs
13,350
18,457
49,233
37,258
77,922
3,914
36,967
40,166
25,632
43,892
64,762
411,552
Growth
-610
35
4,669
5,197
3,689
14
1,576
944
2,003
5,426
2,620
25,562
%
Growth
-4%
0%
10%
16%
5%
0%
4%
2%
8%
14%
4%
7%
2013
EPW
$26,674
$37,050
$36,824
$31,523
$51,242
$46,986
$15,885
$63,250
$18,262
$37,736
$32,557
$38,029
Source: EMSI Complete Employment - 2013.2
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II.b. Describe the current and projected economic environment from a regional perspective, including
occupational outlook and job skills necessary to obtain employment opportunities. Discuss in
context for both Adult and Youth services. [Regulations Section 661.350(a)(1); WIA Section
118(b)(1)(A).]
From an overall Northeast Region perspective, our economy continues to struggle in growth.
While the national economy has exhibited signs of coming out of the recession, traditionally,
northeastern North Carolina is slower to recover. The region has been fortunate in the past year
to have fewer plant closures and major layoffs; however, with our smaller industry base and
number of businesses in general, any major layoffs have a catastrophic effect. There appears to
be a domino effect as to when one major employer closes, other medium and small size
businesses have to downsize or close. Even with the closings/layoffs, business and industrial
recruitment continues. Emphasis is now on the recruitment and retention of small and medium
size employers. A lack of major road systems that would allow industry to receive raw materials
and deliver their products to the market and the lack of broadband internet access continues to
be major barriers to economic development.
As to the occupational outlook for the region, the sectors of “Trade, Transportation and Utilities”,
“Government”, “Education and Health services”, “Financial Activities”, and “Professional and
Business Services,” are projected to exhibit the greatest demand.
In addition to our long-term training, short-term training, and on-the-job training initiatives, the
three Workforce Development Boards have taken/implemented/or are in the process of
developing training sessions with the Community Colleges, Literacy Volunteers, and other
organizations to provide and deliver the following:
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Human Resource Development (including soft skills and communication skills)
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Customer Service Training (including ProveIt)
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Reading and math remediation (including Career Ready 101)
II.c. List specific regionally identified local demand occupations. Describe how the region will work to
help shape curriculum, recruitment, placement and support of vocational and training efforts as
they relate to regional demand occupations.
Northeast Region Workforce Development Boards: Occupations in Demand
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Management, Business and Financial Occupations (10% growth)
Professional and Related Occupations (9% growth)
Sales and Related Occupations (8% growth)
Service Occupations (7% growth)
Office and Administrative Support (6%)
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In addition to occupations in demand for their local areas, the Northeast Workforce
Development Boards will target programs and training initiatives to help shape curriculum,
recruitment, placement and support of vocational and training efforts as they relate to regional
demand occupations as noted above.
Occupation Size and Growth
2014 - 2021 Size and Growth
Description
Construction and extraction occupations
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
Management, business, and financial occupations
Military occupations
Office and administrative support occupations
Production occupations
Professional and related occupations
Sales and related occupations
Service occupations
Transportation and material moving occupations
Total
2014
Jobs
15,228
6,847
16,205
34,527
2,732
50,447
27,453
69,124
49,476
88,934
23,579
384,553
2021
Growth
Jobs
15,206
6,321
17,073
38,119
2,727
53,258
27,988
75,448
53,672
95,576
24,558
409,946
-22
-526
868
3,592
-5
2,811
535
6,324
4,196
6,642
979
25,393
%
Growth
0%
-8%
5%
10%
0%
6%
2%
9%
8%
7%
4%
7%
2013 Avg
Hourly
Earnings
$15.12
$12.28
$17.91
$26.88
$16.00
$14.51
$15.53
$24.25
$13.67
$10.40
$13.76
$16.46
Source: EMSI Complete Employment - 2013.2
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II.d. Describe/identify the workforce investment needs of: 1) businesses, 2) jobseekers, and 3)
currently employed workers in the region. [Regulations Section 661.350(a) (1) and WIA
Section 118(b) (1) (A).]
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Businesses in the Northeast Region have expressed a need for more skilled
jobseekers to fill jobs with specific skill set requirements that are sometimes difficult
to identify in the current pool of unemployed adults and dislocated workers. As a
result, some businesses are forced to recruit outside of the area.
Jobseekers have expressed concern about better job opportunities and the hiring
practices of local businesses. The region has experienced a large number of layoffs;
however, for those seeking jobs it has become evident that the jobs available are not
matched with the skills of the workers from the company that has closed its doors.
Therefore, many dislocated workers may opt for training with eligible training
providers (ex: Community College) rather than continue to seek employment.
Business respondents identified soft skills as a concern with the local workforce.
Businesses have a hard time finding candidates who possess good work ethic,
communication, and customer service skills. Other concerns are related to training
and retention of a skilled workforce.
Current employed workers find it difficult to keep up with the ever changing
technology due to their lack of computer skills, math, reading and comprehension.
Many employers are providing some form of skills upgrade, on-site computer
training, profiling jobs to recognize Career Readiness Certification assessments and
other remediation efforts.
Many local businesses need recruitment assistance; resources to train current
workers and new hires; developing training plans for new hires and team building
activities.
Jobseekers need assistance with soft skills such as communication skills, arriving to
work on time, being at work every day, working in teams, and good interpersonal
skills. Those that use the Career Centers need assistance with resumes and
developing interview skills. Referral will be necessary for some job seekers to
develop fundamental skills like reading and basic mathematics.
II.e. Outline regional transportation issues related to workforce development and ways the region
will address needs identified. Include a description of the regional commuting patterns.
Transportation continues to be a major barrier for the rural Northeastern region. There are
some public transportation agencies that provide limited support; however, there is not a
unified regional transportation system. Some of the public transportation limitations are
boundary lines (ex: County lines) drawn in which service agencies have agreed not to cross, as
well as time issues (usually 8am – 6pm) in which services are terminated. Our regional
employers hire prospective employees from all surrounding counties and usually have several
shifts of production, therefore causing the transportation barriers described above. Many of
our citizens in the northern parts of all three WDBs service areas commute to work in
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southern Virginia and in the Norfolk/Hampton Roads labor shed. (See Attachment –Regional
Commuting Patterns)
II.f.
Describe how the region will emphasize sector strategies that target high-growth industries; for
example, construction, information technology, health science, transportation, distribution and
logistics, agriculture and natural resources. Include ways the region will promote Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professions, as appropriate. Define any
sectors unique to the region.
In addition to occupations in demand for their local areas, the Northeast Workforce Development
Boards will target programs and training initiatives (high-growth sectors as shown in Sections II (b
& c) to help shape curriculum, recruitment, placement and support of vocational and training
efforts. In our approval of curriculums for long-term training, we have moved from “individual
occupations” to a more sector-based approach. As to the promotion and growth of STEM
activities, the three Workforce Development Boards have been and will continue to be partners
with the NC New Schools initiative, Pathways to Prosperity, Eastern Economic Development
Region, local Boards of Education, and the regional STEM Center in Roper.
A unique sector in the Northeast Workforce Development Region is found in the Northeastern
Workforce Development Board area. Their Board and their Economic Development Committee
are targeting the Aviation sector. Although a lot of work has yet to be done, the committee has
started to identify all of the Aviation training/educational/employment opportunities in the
region.
II.g. Describe how the region will coordinate with area community colleges and universities.
The three Workforce Development Boards work closely with the nine Community Colleges in
the Northeast Region, which are as follows:
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Pitt Community College
Beaufort Community College
Martin Community College
Roanoke-Chowan Community College
Wilson Community College
Nash Community College
Edgecombe Community College
Halifax Community College
College of The Albemarle
A majority of our participants in long-term skills training curriculums receive their training at
one of the above Community Colleges. Board staff and Business Services Representatives
maintain a constant dialogue with the College Presidents, Continuing Education Directors,
New and Expanding Industries staff, and Customized Training staff. Through this dialogue,
many of the Community College offerings (HRD, remediation, OSHA 10, soft skills) are linked
in with our workforce training and initiatives that are needed by our local businesses.
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There are three Universities that are located in the Northeast Workforce Region, which are as
follows:
East Carolina University
Elizabeth City State University
Chowan University
East Carolina University: With their School of Medicine and the Vidant Medical Center, the
Region Q Workforce Development Board works very closely with staff to monitor their
workforce, job recruitment, and occupational needs. This information helps us to monitor the
Health Care field, which is one of our largest sectors. Over the years, we have provided labor
market information and in-depth workforce analysis, and have worked on joint grant
applications.
Elizabeth City State University: The University has worked closely with the Northeastern
Workforce Development Board over the years; most recently with the State Energy
Partnership Grant. ECSU has expressed an interest in developing a closer working relationship
with the Pasquotank Career Center for students in the Aviation, Pharmaceutical, and Natural
Sciences fields. NWDB has discussed ways for this to happen including encouraging students
to register with NCWorks Online and attend workshops at the Center. At a later date, we will
pursue the option of staff providing additional workshops (resumes, interviewing, etc.) at
ECSU for graduating seniors. ECSU has expressed interest in learning more about North
Carolina’s Apprenticeship Program.
NC Wesleyan College: The college offers majors in traditional liberal arts disciplines (such as
English and Religious studies), and also majors in professional studies (i.e., criminal justice and
business administration). Turning Point WDB has had limited relations with NC Wesleyan other
than special projects such as the Rocky Mount Chamber Youth Entrepreneurship Academy, Youth
Engineering Summer Camp and pilot job matching website – Jobs.com. We are hopeful to have
more presence on campus with potential jobseekers in the near future as the new president is
confirmed.
III.
On-going Planning
III.a. Describe opportunities, collaborations and steps planned to seek financial and/or other support for
regional workforce efforts. (Examples: Federal Departments of Labor, Health and Human
Services, Commerce and Agriculture grant opportunities; corporate and private foundations;
public sector local and state resources; and, others.)
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The Northeast Region will seek funding from Federal and State of Local resources for regional
collaboration (ex: Regional assessment tools, regional transportation plans, etc.) to analyze the
current workforce pool for employers and possible solutions to barriers for jobseekers.
III.b. Address how the region plans to continuously gather, interpret and communicate its regional
economic and labor force trends; current and projected skill needs and gaps; short-term and longterm projected estimates of employment levels; and, on-going employer needs and related issues.
The three Workforce Development Boards in the Northeast Region will continue to collect and
communicate data in regards to economic and labor force trends, current and projected skill
needs and gaps, short-term and long-term projected estimates of employee levels and on-going
employer’s needs. Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI), Labor and Economic
Analysis Division (LEAD) (NC Commerce), and NCWorks, and business workforce intelligence are
resources that will be utilized by all three Workforce Development Boards to analyze and
synthesize data. This data will be shared with the Community Colleges, Economic Development
officials, Chambers of Commerce, businesses upon request, and will continue to be posted on
our websites. This data will be used by all three Boards to accomplish the following:
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Understand the mismatch in the education/training, skills and experience of our
workforce compared to those required by current and future employers in our region.
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Develop, implement and maintain methodologies for recommending and facilitating
workforce education and training in order to continuously upgrade skills to match
employer requirements.
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Identify the current key industries/industry clusters in our region (# of employees,
average wages, job growth potential and credential requirements). We need to
understand the current and future workforce needs of those industries/industry
clusters.
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Know the projected changes in key industries/industry clusters including jobs, wages
and credential requirements.
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Develop and maintain a product that could be a resource for local educators, elected
officials, current and future employers and other stakeholders to find current
information about the region’s workforce.
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Be a valuable resource for those involved with economic development activities in the
region. NWDB wants to be the “go to” source for economic developers who need
workforce data to provide to prospective businesses considering locating in the region.
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Understand the education level, the training and the skills and experience of the
region’s workforce. This includes the workforce as a whole as well as those currently
unemployed or underemployed.
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Understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in regards to the
workforce in the region. We want to understand the workforce issues existing in our
region.
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Be able to make observations, conclusions and recommendations, based on specific,
detailed data, to assist with decision making.
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Develop and maintain a comprehensive product from which different sections can be
pulled to customize presentations to deliver throughout the region and provide county
and industry specific information as needed.
III.c. Discuss resources/products available to customers in the region’s One-Stop Career Centers that
are unique to the region.
Small Business and Technology Development Center (Northeastern WDB) offers a workshop
on Customer Service in the Pasquotank NC Works Career Center once a month. It is designed
for anyone that has face to face interaction with a customer or client. The workshop is for
anyone who wishes to attend; businesses are encouraged to send staff.
Career Ready 101: While available at many of the Community Colleges, the five NC Works
Centers in Region Q also have the software package. Career Ready 101 provides easy access for
job seekers who need to increase their Career Readiness Certification scores to skill up in the
areas of Reading for Information, Locating Information, and Applied Mathematics.
ProveIt Assessment System: IBM ProveIt Skill Assessments provides job seekers the
opportunity to prove to an employer that they possess the body of knowledge needed to be
successful in a variety of different fields and skill sets. Assessments can range from basic to
advanced levels and include topics in Accounting, Behavioral, Call Center, Clerical, Financial,
Healthcare, Industrial, Legal, Software and Technical environments.
III.d. Provide details on how the region will address workforce issues specifically related to its: 1) cities
and/or towns; 2) suburban areas; and 3) rural areas.
The Northeast Region Workforce Development Area, which encompasses twenty (20) counties,
is considered rural in nature. While we do have several cities, such as Greenville, Wilson, Rocky
Mount, Roanoke Rapids, Washington, and Elizabeth City, which have a larger population and
business sector, we still fall under the classic definition of “rural.”
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The three Workforce Development Boards, in their analysis of the location of Career Center
locations and training venues, takes these demographics in mind.
While presence of staff and locations vary, Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth services are
delivered in all of the twenty counties in the region. In many cases, these services are delivered
at remote/rural locations.
III.e. Identify existing efforts in the region to assist in economic and workforce revitalization in rural
and low-income areas. Provide plans for expanded or new efforts by the region to address
revitalization in rural and low-income areas.
NWDB has an Economic Development Committee which works to strengthen relationships with
those entities involved in Economic Development in their region. Their goal is to make sure
there is an alignment with the projects local Economic Developers are working on and that it
aligns with their business recruitment plans. Great strides have been made in building those
relationships.
In Region Q, close working relationships exist between our five county Economic Developers.
Our Business Services Manager is often called upon to provide statistical data, to develop
business-specific collaborative recruitment models, facilitate the coordination of agencies
resources, and to trouble shoot barriers/challenges.
The Turning Point Workforce Development Board continues a long lasting relationship with our
local economic developers by aligning appropriate resources for business recruitment and/or
incumbent needs. To assist our local economic developers TPWDB Business Service
Coordinator convenes regular meetings with community college business/industry (workforce)
managers, NC Commerce Division of Workforce Solution (DWS) Local Office managers and
guest employer(s) to discuss and regionally develop solutions the meet business customer
needs.
The three Workforce Development Boards will continue to work with Community-Based and
Faith-Based Organizations to identify and assist our low-income citizens.
III.f. Provide details on how the region will connect military skills to local occupational demands to
retain military families, veterans and military retirees.
The Northeast Region will continue provide priority of services to our local veterans utilizing the
NC Commerce Division of Workforce Solution (DWS) Local Veteran Employment Representatives
(LVER) and Disabled Veteran Outreach Program Specialist (DVOP). Integration of LVER’s and
DVOP’s within the local service delivery employment function area will ensure representatives
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are abreast of local occupational demands. Tools such as My Next Move will provide crossover
assessment of military skills that lead to civilian employment opportunities.
III.g. Describe how the region plans to address career development and employment opportunities for
youth.
Career and skills assessments will be administered to identify careers best suited to match
youth’s interest, skills and aptitudes. Board staff will continue to coordinate with high schools
and local Community Colleges to identify available classes and educational tracks which align
with youth’s desired career goals. Work Experiences, job shadowing, internships and volunteer
opportunities will be provided as closely as possible that best align with career interest.
Additionally, job readiness and soft skills classes will be provided to prepare youth for entering
the work force and maintaining employment. Youth will be instructed in the use of NCWorks
online and Labor Market Information to locate job openings, education and training
requirements, and other job market trends that support career choices in growing sectors and
industries.
III.h. Describe how the region will enhance use of apprenticeships to support the regional economy and
employment advancement.
In the past, the Workforce Development Boards have had various measures of success in
partnering with the apprenticeship program, mainly due to the lack of follow-up on business
leads by the NCDOL apprenticeship staff. Employer interest and business intelligence shows the
need for an expanded program. With the recent move of the apprenticeship program to the
Division of Workforce Solutions at the Department of Commerce, we anticipate a closer
relationship and promotion of the program.
III.i. Discuss current and planned steps to align various partners’ business outreach and services to
effectively serve the region’s employers and reduce duplication and overlapping contacts. Include
types of workforce services available to employers and how they are provided across the region.
The three Northeast Workforce Development Boards work closely with a variety of partners who
serve the region’s employers. These partners are the SBTDC (Small Business and Technology
Development Centers); the Community Colleges Small Business Centers; the New and Expanding/
Customized Training staff at the Community colleges; the local Chambers of Commerce; and local
and regional economic developers. Over the past years, we have all worked closely together to
learn of the services we each provide for businesses. Recent collaborative recruitment programs
where the Business Services representatives act as a single point of contact to coordinate all
available resources within a region, have proven to be a favored model of economic developers.
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This process helps organize the integration of time sensitive services and prevents confusion due
to multiple agency contact.
Workforce services to employers are provided at two levels across our Northeast Region. The first
level is provided by our Business Services Representatives. These staff are the individuals that
closely follow developing trends, secure workforce intelligence, and deliver business needs to our
system and the WDBs. Their services include, but are not limited to the following:
 Recruitment Protocols
 WorkKeys Profiling
 Labor Market Information
 Connection and cross-referral to available resources (including various partners)
 Benefits of the NC Works Online system
 Benefits of using the NC Works Centers
 Workshops
 Business Consultations
The second level of service to employers is found in our NC Works Centers, where businesses
receive assistance in identification and referral of skilled workers to meet their hiring needs.
Employers also receive access to our on the job training programs and other training initiatives
through these centers.
III.j.
Complete the chart below to demonstrate plans to continue and/or expand regional partnerships
with economic development and other workforce development organizations.
Name and
Description of
Partner
Current
Interactions of
Partnership
Shared
Customers/Interests
Plans for Future
Relationships
Eastern Economic
Development
Region
Extensive
WorkKeys Assessments
Career Readiness
Certificates
Work Ready Comm.
Recruitment
STEM
Needed Skills Training
Sector Identification
Continued Strong
Relationship
Northeast
Commission
Limited
Economic
Developers
(Counties)
Strong
Relationship
Identification of Skilled
Workforce
Uncertain
(Economic
Prosperity Zones)
Continued Strong
Relationship
Industry Growth Sectors
Industry Recruitment
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