One woman standing with four others seated on a stage

Cohort

Talent First Economics Community Cohort

A cohort made up of five communities from across the state participated in a peer learning network as part of the 2023 Emerging Issues Forum: Talent First Economics. The cohort completed the inaugural North Carolina Workforce Development Leadership Initiative developed at NC State University.

The Leadership Initiative program is an intensive six-month professional training program, with classes beginning in October. The curriculum is comprised of four instructional courses, each of which include 12 contact hours in the classroom. Graduates of the program receive the professional designation of Certified Workforce Developer (CWD). The initiative is housed in NC State University’s Municipal Research Lab led by Bruce McDonald. Other partners within NC State include the Economic Development Partnership and the NC State Continuing and Lifelong Education.

The project is funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

At a series of regional forums, cohort teams will develop a set of planning steps for each of their communities.

A map of North Carolina with counties highlighted that are included in the Talent First Economics community cohort — The counties included in the Talent First Economics Community Cohort.

The five teams in the cohort include representatives from the following organizations:

Cape Fear Region

Brunswick Community College
Cape Fear Council of Governments
Cape Fear Workforce Development Board
Columbus County Economic Development
Wilmington Chamber of Commerce
Town of Burgaw
UNC Wilmington

Eastern Carolina Region

Eastern Carolina Council of Governments
Eastern Carolina Workforce Development Board
Greene County
Lenoir Community College
Wayne County

Northern and Western Piedmont Triad Region

Caswell County
City of Winston-Salem
Forsyth County
Piedmont Triad Regional Workforce Development Board
Piedmont Triad Regional Council
Rockingham County
Surry County

Southern and Eastern Piedmont Triad Region

Alamance County Area Chamber of Commerce
City of Greensboro
City of High Point
GuilfordWorks Workforce Development Board
Regional Partnership Workforce Development Board
Randolph County Economic Development Corporation

Western Mountain Region

Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce
Blue Ridge Community College
Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development
Land of Sky Regional Council
Mountain Area Workforce Development Board
Transylvania Economic Alliance
Western Carolina University