Forum Resources
Select resources and recordings from the 2023 Emerging Issues Forum, Talent First Economics
Session recordings coming soon!
The Labor Shortage
Presenter: Laura Dawson Ullrich, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Breakout: Disability/Neurodiversity
Presenter: Oleksandr Movchan, NC LEAD
Breakout: Families with Young Children
Presenter: Neil Harrington, NC LEAD
Breakout: Justice-Involved
Presenter: Andrew Berger-Gross, NC LEAD
Breakout: Opportunity Youth
Presenter: Jonathan Guarine, NC LEAD
Breakout: Transitioning Military and their Families
Presenter: Joshua Levy, NC LEAD
Spotlight #1: Connecting Older Adult Workers
Presenter: Mindy Feldbaum, AARP Foundation
Spotlight #2: Connecting Connecting Bilingual & Bicultural Workers
Presenter: Carlos Cotto, Lenoir Community College
Spotlight #3: Connecting Rural Workers
Presenter: LeClair Boone, NC Tech Paths
Investing in Our Total Talent
Presenter: Michael Grossman, Social Finance
Transforming the Workforce Ecosystem
Presenter: Brigid Schulte, Better Life Lab, New America
Program Recommendations for Older Workers, Bilingual/Bicultural Workers and Rural Workers
Provided by participants of the 2023 Emerging Issues Forum
Programs Connecting Older Workers
| Title | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments’ Area Agency on Aging | Person, Granville, Vance, Franklin, and Warren County | The Kerr Tar Area Agency on Aging focuses on its partnership efforts as a means of leveraging a quality continuum of support for the region’s older adults. They lead, develop and enhance community based services, opportunities and protections for older adults, persons with disabilities and family caregivers to empower them to live independent, healthy and improved quality of lives in their community of choice for as long as possible. |
| Back to Work 50+ | AARP; NC Locations in Raleigh & Durham | Back to Work for ages 50+ provides unemployed older workers with a suite of tools and coaching resources to help them compete with confidence for today’s high quality in-demand jobs. Offers free workshops on the strategies you need to compete for full-time, in-demand jobs. Workshop participants can also apply for their free coaching program offering skills training, job search guidance and more. |
| Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) | Various Locations | SCSEP places economically disadvantaged adults ages 55+ into part-time community service assignments which assists them in transitioning into unsubsidized employment. SCSEP enables them to acquire job skills and work experience by training 20hrs per week in non-profit and governmental agencies while they receive a training stipend for their efforts. The program also provides other opportunities for professional growth and development through educational workshops and internships. |
| WAGES Foster Grandparent Program | Wayne & Wilson County | The WAGES Foster Grandparent Program provides meaningful and challenging volunteer opportunities for seniors ages 55+. Foster Grandparents support the future by serving as mentors, tutors, and caregivers to special needs children. Foster Grandparents volunteer at least 20 hours per week. Eligible volunteers may receive a tax-free hourly stipend. |
| WAGES Senior Companion Program | Wayne & Wilson County | The WAGES Senior Companion Program provides meaningful and challenging volunteer opportunities for seniors ages 55+. Senior Companions help older adults live independently in their own homes and provide respite services to enable caregivers to have some much needed time off. Senior Companions assist with daily tasks such as light meal preparation, light housekeeping, monitoring medications, as well as accompanying clients to the grocery store and doctor’s appointments. Senior Companions volunteer at least 20 hours per week. Eligible volunteers may receive a tax-free hourly stipend. |
| Senior Environmental Employment (SEE) Program | Various Locations | The SEE program provides an opportunity for retired and unemployed Americans ages 55+ to share their expertise with the U.S. EPA, remaining active using their matured skills in meaningful tasks that support a wide variety of environmental programs. Full-time and part-time SEE enrollees contribute in many ways to help EPA improve the environment through professional, technical, and clerical pathways. |
| Asheville 50+ Works Experienced Workforce Initiative (EWI) | Asheville | EWI supports and promotes the engagement of adults ages 50+ in both the volunteer and workforce continuum, from volunteer work to stipend-based training, part-time and full-time employment, and entrepreneurship in Asheville and Western North Carolina. EWI also includes the Digital Literacy Network to provide technology navigators for those under the digital divide. |
Programs Connecting Bilingual & Bicultural Workers
| Title | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| NC Society of Hispanic Professionals | Across NC | NCSHP promotes the education of Hispanic students at all scholastic levels. By connecting Hispanic students to educational pathways, the NCSHP is able to bridge the gap between the Hispanic community and the labor market. |
| Telamon Corporation | Various Locations | Workforce & Career Services creates hope and prepares people of all ages for more competitive jobs. For customers who want to identify more promising career paths that fit their skills and interests. We serve youth, migrants, seasonal farmworkers, and low-income individuals. |
Programs Connecting Rural Workers & Cross-Cutting Programs
| Title | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Golden LEAF Foundation’s Workforce Preparedness Programs | Various Locations | Golden LEAF supports workforce projects that help close the skills gap and increase the pool of highly qualified individuals with skills aligned to North Carolina businesses’ current and future needs. They fund projects that demonstrate a market demand for skilled workers and aim at developing skill sets required by businesses looking to locate or expand in rural communities. |
| Investments Supporting Partnerships In Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative | Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) | The INSPIRE Initiative addresses the substance abuse disorder crisis across Appalachia by creating or expanding a recovery ecosystem that will lead to workforce entry or re-entry. Successful projects will support the post-treatment to employment continuum, which could include investments in healthcare networks that support SUD recovery professionals, recovery-focused job training programs, as well as initiatives designed to coordinate, or link, recovery services and training that support the recovery to work ecosystem, among others. |
| Lewiston Woodville Educational Vitality Center | Lewiston Woodville, NC | The Roanoke-Chowan Community College College and Career Readiness team offers basic skills, computer, and high school equivalency diploma (formerly GED) classes in Lewiston Woodville at the new Educational Vitality Center. The center recently opened as a community resource and education center and is a public-private partnership between the Bertie County Hive House and the town of Lewiston-Woodville. |
| Volt Center at Craven Community College | Craven County | Craven Community College’s Volt Center serves as their workforce development center, offering hands-on learning programs in various trades. Trade areas include carpentry, HVAC, hospitality, diesel systems technology, and much more! |
| North Carolina Manufacturing Institute | Rowan, Cabarrus, and Iredell County | The North Carolina Manufacturing Institute is specially designed to link and leverage the existing assets of Rowan, Cabarrus, and Iredell counties to solve a growing gap between regional job seekers and available positions. Manufacturing firms will benefit from partnering with the North Carolina Manufacturing Institute through access to a pipeline of screened, trained, certified production technicians who can help them achieve their business goals. |
| Triad Career Connect | Piedmont Triad | The Triad Career Connect (TCC) serves as a bridge between talent needs of employers and career exposure needs of youth. Together with regional employers, community colleges and school systems, TCC develops the course curriculum. The TCC program provides a pathway to a career through both education and work experience opportunities. |
| Life Works, Community Action Opportunities | Asheville, NC | Life Works helps individuals obtain full-time, living wage jobs so they can move out of poverty and obtain economic security. Participants are typically in the program one to three years. During this time, they work with their Life Works Coach, setting goals and addressing barriers while focusing on education/training and financial capabilities. |
| Inclusive Hiring Partners, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce | Buncombe County | Inclusive Hiring Partners is a resource to close the opportunity gap by connecting Buncombe County residents experiencing significant barriers to employment with available jobs in growing industries. Local employer partners are in manufacturing, health care, construction, and local government industries and range from multinational companies with hundreds of local employees to small, family-owned businesses. All employer partners offer guaranteed interviews. |
| Charlotte Works | Mecklenburg County | Through programs and partnerships with service providers across the county, Charlotte Works ensures that job seekers have access to opportunities, and have the skills employers need. Charlotte Works oversees the NCWorks Career Centers and NextGen Youth programs and administers the Working Smart essential skills curriculum for job seekers. |
| StepUp Durham | Durham County | StepUp Durham provides pathways to employment and life skills training for residents of Durham County. Through their various programs, StepUp Durham works to make the people of Durham County more financially stable. |
| Made in Durham’s BULLS Initiative | Durham County | The BULLS Initiative is a program that works to provide training, certifications, and full scholarships to young adults interested in pursuing a career in Durham’s life sciences industry. |
| Bio Jobs Hub | Across NC | Bio Jobs Hub, powered by NCBiotech, is a statewide resource connecting participants to training and job opportunities in the life sciences industry. |
Businesses and Organizations that Uplift Older, Bilingual/Bicultural and Rural Workers Across NC
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| N.C. Cooperative Extension | Each County in NC |
| Harris Teeter Supermarkets | Various Locations |
| Sandhills Cooperation Association | Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Richmond, and Stanly County |