Piedmont Workforce Network

Piedmont Workforce Network
Name	Piedmont Workforce Network
Formation	1970s
Type	Workforce Development Board
Location	Piedmont Triad, North Carolina
Region served	Alamance County, Caswell County, Guilford County, Randolph County, Rockingham County
Leader title	Executive Director
Affiliations	NCWorks, U.S. Department of Labor, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

Piedmont Workforce Network is a regional workforce development board serving the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, coordinating employment, training, and employer services across multiple counties. It connects job seekers, incumbent workers, and employers with resources from federal, state, and local institutions to support labor market adjustment, economic competitiveness, and sectoral workforce strategies. The organization operates within a network of public and private partners to deliver programs aligned with regional labor trends and policy frameworks.

Overview

Piedmont Workforce Network operates as part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act implementation in the Piedmont Triad. It administers NCWorks career centers and collaborates with the U.S. Department of Labor, North Carolina Department of Commerce, Community College System of North Carolina, and local county commissions. The board engages employers such as Boeing, Honda, Bank of America, Siemens, and FedEx through sector partnerships and works alongside educational institutions like Guilford Technical Community College, Alamance Community College, Randolph Community College, and Elon University. The network aligns with regional economic development entities including Piedmont Triad Partnership, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, and municipal governments in Greensboro, North Carolina, Winston-Salem, and High Point, coordinating with labor unions such as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and advocacy groups like the NC Justice Center.

History

The network traces its roots to workforce initiatives of the 1970s and the federal Job Training Partnership Act era, transitioning under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to a local workforce development board model. Early collaborations linked Guilford County, Alamance County, and Randolph County with state workforce agencies and federal programs administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. Over time, partnerships expanded to include the Small Business Administration, regional foundations like the United Way of Greater Greensboro, private employers such as Krispy Kreme and VF Corporation, and training providers including North Carolina A&T State University, Guilford College, and High Point University. The board responded to structural changes in sectors dominated by textile industry decline, manufacturing consolidation by General Motors and Hanesbrands, and growth in biotechnology and logistics sectors driven by companies such as Merck and UPS.

Services and Programs

Piedmont Workforce Network offers NCWorks Career Center services, adult education partnerships with Guilford County Schools and Alamance-Burlington School System, and dislocated worker assistance coordinated with the Economic Development Administration. It administers WIOA Adult Program, WIOA Dislocated Worker Program, and WIOA Youth Program funds, in concert with vocational training from Johnston Community College and apprenticeships registered with the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship. Programs include sector-based training in advanced manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, and logistics in cooperation with Cone Health, Atrium Health, Novant Health, SAS Institute, and Amazon. Services also encompass employer-focused functions like incumbent worker training, rapid response for layoffs linked to Honeywell or Nucor, work-based learning including internships and registered apprenticeships with Piedmont Triad International Airport employers, and customized training funded through state workforce incentives.

Governance and Funding

The board is governed by a public-private composition of business leaders, educational representatives from institutions such as University of North Carolina at Greensboro and North Carolina Central University, labor representatives, and elected officials from county commissions and city councils of Greensboro, Burlington, North Carolina, and Randleman. Its funding streams include federal allocations from the U.S. Department of Labor under WIOA, state grants from the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Workforce Development Boards allocations, and local contributions from economic development agencies and foundations like the Golden LEAF Foundation and Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. The board coordinates procurement and subawards with community-based organizations such as Goodwill Industries International, Workforce Investment Network, and faith-based partners.

Partnerships and Regional Impact

Strategic alliances include regional employers—Toyota, Volvo Trucks North America, Pratt & Whitney, and Honeywell—and industry associations like North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership and Biotech Center of North Carolina. Education partnerships extend to Wake Forest University School of Medicine clinical training pathways and secondary career and technical education through Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in local school districts. The network collaborates with regional transportation planners at the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation and workforce research with the Bureau of Labor Statistics and North Carolina Employment Security Commission. Its regional impact includes aligning training pipelines for initiatives such as advanced manufacturing clusters promoted by the Piedmont Triad Partnership and supporting workforce needs for site selectors like CBRE and JLL when attracting investment.

Performance and Outcomes

Performance metrics reported by the board include job placements, credential attainment, median earnings of participants, and employer retention rates. Outcomes are tracked relative to benchmarks from the U.S. Department of Labor and North Carolina Department of Commerce, with program evaluations conducted alongside research partners such as RTI International and Chapel Hill–based University of North Carolina researchers. Success stories often highlight transitions into careers with Cone Health, Stryker, GE Aviation, and Kaiser Permanente-partnered positions, apprenticeships with Siemens Energy, and upskilling for incumbent workers at VF Corporation. Continuous improvement efforts invoke best practices from national networks like the National Association of Workforce Boards and Jobs for the Future to address regional labor market shifts driven by automation, trade policy changes, and demographic trends documented by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Category:Workforce development