Workforce Preparation for Today’s Jobs

New and Expanding Industry

Once a company has decided to move to Durham, after working with the Chamber's Economic Development team, or a current company decides to expand - then, it is time to connect these groups with the staffing resources in our community. These include several local training centers and institutions such as Durham Technical Community College, Northgate Sales and Service Training Center, North Carolina Central University and Duke University as well as other local workforce development organizations such as the Durham Workforce Development Board/JobLink and Durham’s Employment Security Commission.

Additionally, the Durham Chamber's Workforce Development Vice President is a member of the Durham Technical Community College's Advisory Council. The goal of this Council is to advise the college on skills that are in demand in local companies and to create new curriculum, as demand requires.

Universities, Colleges and Training Centers in Durham

Chamber Members - Private Personnel Staffing Firms

Durham Workforce Development Board/Joblink

Durham’s Employment Security Commission

Local , State and Federal Financial Resource

Recruitment and Retention Strategies 

Human Resource Discussion Sessions with 7-10 HR Professionals, are held several times throughout the year. They provide an opportunity for HR professionals to meet with the Vice President of the Chamber's Workforce Development division to discuss current workforce issues i.e. recruitment challenges, skill gaps in the current workforce, future workforce needs, etc. Information on local resources is provided. When appropriate, the information is shared with educational groups and new curriculum is created. 

Additionally, we strongly encourage companies to use workplace flexibility as cutting-edge tool to benefit employers and employees in the 21st century workplace as recognized by efforts of the When Work Works initiative.

The Durham Chamber is an official host site of the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility (2005, 2006, 2007). In addition to presenting the awards to the local winners, we have held three forums promoting the benefits of workplace flexibility. Attendance has ranged from 100-160 attendees. One forum included a best practice panel. Sponsors of this program are: the TWIGA Foundation, When Work Works, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Institute for a Competitive Workforce, an affiliate of the US Chamber of Commerce.

Helping Adults with Barriers to Secure Employment

The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Durham County Government, assists Durham residents with barriers, in the Re-entry and Work First programs, to find and retain employment. This process begins by educating employers on the benefits of hiring the participants who have made a commitment to improve their lives by becoming gainfully employed. This creates a win-win scenario for all parties.

The Re-entry Program assists individuals who are exiting incarceration and mandated by the court system to complete a job readiness program and secure employment. This program is apart of Durham County’s Criminal Justice Resource Center. The Chamber employs an Employment Specialist who provides the job readiness training and generates job opportunities for the clients of the program.

Work First, North Carolina’s Welfare reform initiative, is administered by the Department of Social Services to help recipients move from dependency to personal responsibility and self-sufficiency. The Chamber provides a Job Developer whose primary responsibility is to create job opportunities for the Work First participants and assist with the hiring process.

Mentoring Initiative

We are proud to have taken a leadership role along with Police Chief Steve Chalmers, Councilman Mike Woodard, community leader Steve Toler, with support of the City and County Governments of Durham, to create a one stop web-based community resource for mentoring and workplace support information for individuals seeking such help as well as to use it to recruit mentors. The Volunteer Center of Durham embraced the concept, created the Greater Durham Mentoring Alliance and has moved forward with implementation. It serves adults (age 16+, including dropouts) and youth (K-12). A proposal has been generated for the Work First program. Additionally, the Durham Chamber has encouraged the business community to support the initiative. Adult Mentoring and Career Development Assistance

For Additional Information, Contact:

Kathy Hoffmeier, Vice President of Workforce Development, (919) 682-2133 ext 228 khoffmeier@durhamchamber.org