The Cumberland County Workforce Development Board sponsored a Next Generation Sector Partnership launch meeting for the healthcare industry June 14. Cumberland County is the first county in North Carolina to support Next Gen Sector Partnerships, which kicked off in the county in October 2017.
Next Gen Sector Partnerships bring together businesses from the same industry and in a shared labor market region to collectively address topics affecting their industry. Additionally, community partners from educational institutions, workforce development, economic development, community organizations, local and state governments support the partnership by listening to better understand how they can support the needs voiced by industry partners.
Representatives from more than 20 healthcare agencies attended the launch meeting to discuss opportunities available for industry growth, identify priorities to help the industry capitalize on opportunities and develop next steps. The priorities identified were:
- Integration and Coordination of Care. Develop greater integration within the health care sector, as well as more regular communication and connection within the sector.
- Workforce Development. Develop a pool of skilled health care workers to fuel future growth.
- Expand Care in Non-Traditional Settings. Offer care in non-traditional settings and during non-traditional times to more effectively reach high-need patient populations. This could include establishing more community-based integrated care clinics, enabling health care services after hours and providing transportation to help low-income patients access care.
- Obesity Prevention Campaign. Engage with public and private schools, as well as Fort Bragg, to start obesity evaluation education at an early age and improve nutritional options in school and the broader community and improve access to parks and safe walking trails to increase access to low-cost fitness.
Employer champions for each priority were identified at the meeting. The teams of champions will meet in the coming weeks to develop each priority area, define objectives and immediate and near-term action items. Once each team has met, the full partnership will reconvene to take stock of the action plan and agree on next steps to move forward.
More than a dozen organizations representing Cumberland County, City of Fayetteville, and the state of North Carolina, including representatives from the N.C. Department of Commerce, the Office of the Governor, and Senator Richard Burr’s office attended the meeting.
For more information about the Cumberland County Workforce Development
Board and the NCWorks Career Center, visit
co.cumberland.nc.us/career-center or call 910-323-3421. For more information about Next Gen Sector Partnerships, visit
nextgensectorpartnerships.com.