Category: Workforce Development & Human Capital
How Are Economic Developers Partnering to Solve Workforce Challenges?
To attract, retain and expand businesses in today’s tight labor market, economic development organizations (EDOs) are becoming more involved than ever in partnerships to help meet employers’ talent pipeline and training needs. What do those partnerships look like? Effective Economic Development Role … Continued
Customer Service in CED – The New Push to Improve What We Do
CED officials prioritize good service. But are they undercutting their own efforts, increasing service availability on one hand but making it difficult to actively use the services on the other? A number of recent national reports, commentaries and even teaching case studies have raised the issue of … Continued
Student Corner: Addressing Construction Labor Shortages Post-Pandemic
Labor shortages are not new to the construction industry, but the pandemic has added fuel to an already urgent issue. With an aging workforce vulnerable to economic shocks, the construction industry has seen sharp rises and falls in the last 20 years, increasing safety and quality concerns. Since 20 … Continued
The Story of Job Growth in North Carolina: Feast or Famine?
It is often hard to make sense of monthly statistics on job growth. Year-over-year changes are dramatically impacted by COVID-19. With COVID cases rising again, the impact of COVID on tracking job growth or loss, industries affected, and predictions for the future is likely to continue. Fortunately … Continued
Celebrate the Big and the Small
In courses like the School’s Community Development Academy, community development professionals are taught to celebrate small victories. Perhaps the victory involves a strong volunteer turnout for a neighborhood cleanup day; or perhaps an owner agreed to remove an unsightly vehicle from view of the … Continued
Practical Tools for CED: What Social Network Maps Can Offer
Last May, the following message went out over the Food Policy Network’s (FPN) listserv. “We are working to put together a process for network mapping one of our local food policy councils’ COVID response efforts. (The) purposes are to document the networks that were developed and the associated outc … Continued
Using Human Centered Design in CED work
Community and economic development has increasingly required participation from community members to be effective. Ensuring high levels of engagement throughout the design process is crucial to producing a product that serves the needs of the community. A creative approach to problem solving might b … Continued
A COVID Silver Lining for CED Professionals: Innovation
Last October a CED post highlighted the importance of understanding the capacity of nonprofits who work with local governments to provide needed social services. The focus at the time was on the program participation tipping point, where community partners disengaged from participating in a program … Continued
Signs of Strain in Local Social Safety Nets in NC: Observations for CED Professionals
Not Normal CED professionals rely on nonprofits, large and small, for a huge array of services – or work for nonprofits directly. Small businesses value community connections and are frequent supporters in times of community need. After a typical disaster, nonprofits work next to first responders an … Continued
Student Corner: Durham’s Blueprint for Equitable Community Engagement
What started as community push-back on Durham’s proposed rails-to-trails development has turned into a model for standardizing equitable and inclusive engagement. Here’s how community concern about the Durham Belt Line resulted in a shift in culture development and the creation of Durham’s Equitable … Continued