Stein workforce council launches push to engage 50,000 North Carolina employers
RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Josh Stein’s Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships is launching an effort to engage 50,000 employers as partners in North Carolina’s workforce development system.
The governor’s office and the North Carolina Department of Commerce announced the effort Thursday. The administration said reaching 50,000 employers is one of 11 goals the council established last year for expanding the state’s workforce development efforts.
The council is asking employers of all sizes to submit an interest form through the Department of Commerce. The administration said employers may participate whether or not they have previous experience with NCWorks or related workforce programs.
According to the announcement, the information submitted by employers will be shared with state and local partners to help identify business challenges and possible workforce commitments. Workforce partners may then follow up to connect employers with services that could help with recruiting, training and retaining workers.
Stein said employers need to be involved in building the state’s workforce pipeline. Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley, one of the council’s co-chairs, said employer involvement is needed for the workforce system to connect talent to jobs.
The state’s 20 local Workforce Development Boards are expected to help support the outreach. The Division of Workforce Solutions within Commerce is making employer engagement grants of up to $50,000 available to local workforce development boards. The grants are intended to help boards develop ways to engage local partners and employers.
The announcement also pointed to the council’s broader goals, including doubling apprenticeships across the state. The administration said the council is focused on employer leadership, alignment across stakeholders, clear pathways to jobs and accountability for results.
Workforce development is a recurring issue in North Carolina politics because it connects community colleges, economic recruitment, business expansion and state budget decisions. The new employer engagement push gives the administration a measurable target, but the larger question will be how the state defines participation and whether the effort leads to more apprenticeships, training placements and filled jobs.
Editor’s note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
