Sector Strategies in the news: North Carolina

An editorial in the Greensboro News-Record names sector strategies as an important tool to help workers suceed in the changing economy.

One program it supports is the state's development of "sector strategies" -- job training designed to mesh with a region's most acute employee needs.

The idea is not new: The concept led to the creation of community colleges. In our area, the Piedmont Triad Partnership has done much to promote the strategy, through a three-year, $15 million federal grant that links regional economic development with worker training. Through its WIRED program, the Piedmont Triad Partnership has promoted educational training in areas from logistics to nursing assistants.

Now, Gov. Mike Easley has created a "regional skills partnership" initiative run through the N.C. Commerce Department. That program has provided modest grants to several regions so they can plan how best to meet needs in the allied health industry.