About
Weaving a Talent Ecosystem in North Carolina’s Textile Industry
Establishing a Statewide Model for Workforce Development, is an innovative approach to addressing the workforce needs of the textile industry in North Carolina. Educational entities, manufacturing extension partnerships, economic development partners, and other stakeholders have all worked together to identify talent gaps and develop programs in to address those gaps.
The historical nature of production occupations and the massive losses of jobs in the textile industry during the late 1990s and early 2000s, has caused many North Carolinians that the textile industry is dead, and there are no future careers in it. However, research indicates that these perceptions are simply not true. While the textile industry is still alive and well in North Carolina, current perceptions among job seekers must be addressed and a talent pipeline must be established to meet manufacturer’s needs.
Activity 1 Convene Advisory Board
The project advisory board will include industry , higher education, policy makers, the workforce development system, and private foundation board members. Engaging key partners early on will increase both awareness and investment in the project.
Activity 2 Workforce Gap Analysis
No workforce gap analysis currently exists for the North Carolina textile industry. The gap analysis will also be forward-thinking, involving an assessment of technology adoption and readiness, as an indicator for future workforce needs as companies progress in digital transformation.
Activity 3 Supply-Side Asset Map of Industry Recognized Credentials and Education Pathways
Completing an asset mapping process will facilitate enhanced engagement statewide across both two and four-year colleges, in addition to workforce training systems. This will result in comprehensive education and career pathway development, building seamless transitions for job seekers and a more highly skilled talent pipeline.
Activity 4 Reconvene Advisory Board to Prioritize Opportunities to Enhance Training Pathways and Promote Diversity and Inclusion
Continuous stakeholder input is crucial to shape emerging priorities. Without this input, there will not be a successful implementation of local, regional, and statewide strategies to address workforce gaps and education/training assets needed to fill those gaps.
Activity 5 Identify Strategies to Raise Awareness of, and Access to, Textile Careers
Due to the negative perceptions about manufacturing and textile career pathways, we will design of a comprehensive marketing campaign that addresses these perceptions head on with specific focus on reaching underrepresented populations.
Activity 6 Prepare a Final Report on Project Data, Identified Strategies, and Recommendations
This final report will summarize the data collected during the the project, including the gap analysis, asset mapping, input from the advisory board and statewide taskforce, program evaluation, and a strategic action plan developed by the advisory board to outlining next steps. The report will be shared publicly and widely statewide with project leadership; components of the report and project may also be shared with the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST), Industry Associations, MEPs, and AFFOA’s national ecosystem.