Governor’s Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships Continues to Advance Workforce Opportunities in North Carolina

Today Governor Josh Stein's Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships released a report identifying 30 strategies designed to advance North Carolina's workforce and expand access to good jobs with good wages. When implemented, these proposed strategies will help the state attain the 11 workforce goals that the Council recommended in June.

"North Carolina needs to build upon our strengths, create jobs, connect more people to opportunity, and empower students with the skills they need," said Governor Stein. "I am grateful to the Council for developing these strategies and look forward to working with the General Assembly and other partners to focus our collective energy on them, as we demonstrate that no state will outwork North Carolina when it comes to developing our workforce."

"Thanks to strong collaboration and input from a range of talented North Carolinians, the Governor's Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships has developed actionable, measurable strategies to position our state for continued success," said N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. "North Carolina is America's top state for business because of our workforce, and we must lead with innovation to keep it that way."

"To support our dynamic economy, we must focus on meeting the workforce development needs of businesses, workers, and students in every corner of North Carolina," said Senator Eddie Settle. "The Council's strategies contain a number of practical solutions to some of our state's biggest challenges, offering opportunities for even more North Carolinians to qualify for good jobs paying good wages. I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues in the General Assembly to champion these proposals."

"North Carolina's 58 outstanding community colleges will provide leadership to help carry out most of the strategies contained in this new report, which highlights how essential they are to our state's future," said Dr. Jeff Cox, president of the N.C. Community College System. "We look forward to working with our K-12 and university partners, among others, to use these strategies to align high-quality training and education with employer demand."

The goals and accompanying strategies are centered on objectives related to credential and degree attainment; expansion of work-based learning, including apprenticeships, and strengthening of partnerships between employers and the state workforce system; sector-based strategies in key industries; and increased participation by North Carolinians in workforce programs that open doors to education, training, and career opportunities.

A few highlights of the Council's strategies include:

• Align and strategically expand funding and partnerships to support learners with essential needs like child care, transportation, food, and housing, especially for people in rural communities, justice-involved people, people with disabilities, and veterans and their families.
• Promote awareness and increase uptake of Workforce Pell, NC College Connect, Next NC, and the NC Need-Based Scholarship to provide direct admission to North Carolina colleges and universities and financial aid to support the cost of attendance, making financial aid more flexible to cover tuition, credentials, and licensing costs - especially in high-demand career fields.
• Leverage existing state and local business councils, professional associations, etc., to identify barriers to the expansion of apprenticeships and work-based learning, build strategic partnerships, and recommend incentives for pre-apprenticeships, apprenticeships, and work-based learning opportunities.
• Across agencies, review policies and procedures to reduce regulatory burdens for employers and update policies and procedures to foster an aligned multi-sector ecosystem that supports ApprenticeshipNC and partners.
• Create the Apprenticeship County Match Fund that provides matching funding to counties that support registered apprenticeships by paying the related instruction at community colleges in partnership with companies that pay apprenticeship wages.
• Create a governance structure to organize existing industry groups, leaders, and councils within advanced manufacturing, education, and health care to develop and refine statewide sector strategies.
• In collaboration with the North Carolina AI Leadership Council, develop an AI curriculum addressing needs from K-12 to postsecondary that can be integrated into existing coursework to support artificial intelligence (AI) fluency for all North Carolinians, especially people in rural communities, justice-involved people, incumbent workers, people with disabilities, and veterans and their families.
• Deliver regular, coordinated training across schools, community colleges, NCWorks Career Centers, and community-based organizations to ensure that all counselors, advisors, and career coaches are fully equipped to guide students toward informed, seamless postsecondary and career pathways.
• The Governor's Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships brings together state officials, education and workforce leaders, employers, and other stakeholders to consider workforce development goals and strategies that support economic growth while ensuring that employers have the talent they need and jobseekers have pathways to careers that support thriving families and communities.

Established through Executive Order No. 11 as an advisory body within the NCWorks Commission, the Council is co-chaired by N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley, N.C. Senator Eddie Settle, and N.C. Community College System President Dr. Jeff Cox. The Department of Commerce and the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) provide administrative support for the Council's work. The Council will continue to meet and track the state's progress toward achieving the identified goals, with annual follow-up reports planned for December 2026, December 2027, and December 2028.

Since taking office in January, Governor Stein has announced business expansions or new projects that will total more than $23 billion of new capital investment in North Carolina and create more than 34,000 new, good-paying jobs - making 2025 a record-breaking year for job commitments.

Read the Council's report here.

Click here for the full list of members of the Council.

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