Workforce

Successful economic development depends heavily on Chatham County's ability to attract, retain, and educate a resident workforce with a diverse array of skills, knowledge, and educational backgrounds.  Chatham County benefits strongly from its close proximity to top notch universities like Duke University, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with many young professionals and families making Chatham County their home after they finish their education.  In addition, Chatham County has a long history of developing excellent on-the-job workforce development and training programs through partnerships between the community college system and local industries.  As a result, Chatham County's strong resident workforce is an exceptional asset that is highly valued by the existing business community, as well as by potential clients that are interested in relocating to, expanding within, or starting up a business in Chatham County.

Current Workforce Profile

Labor force data from the North Carolina Employment Security Commission provide a snapshot of the current workforce employed by establishments within Chatham County.  The manufacturing sector is by far the largest employer within Chatham County: companies within the manufacturing industry employ 31% of Chatham County's labor force.  The health care industry is the second largest employer at 15.4% and retail trade is third at 11.7%.  The construction, accomodation and food services, and public administration sectors are also major workforce employers.  Workforce by establishment data suggests that Chatham County's major industries mainly employ semi-skilled and unskilled workers with various levels of education.  For a complete profile of Chatham County's workforce by place of employment, view the Workforce Indicator.

Attracting & Retaining an Educated Workforce

For the last 10 years, Chatham County has been growing as a bedroom community for the Research Triangle and Piedmont Triad regions.  Increasingly, Chatham County residents are graduates of the excellent educational institutions in the region, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Duke University, and North Carolina Central University.  The growing population of highly educated residents creates unparalled opportunities for businesses that are looking for a workforce with backgrounds in the biological and physical sciences, business management, computer and information technology, engineering, mathematics, and the health professions.  Together, these acclaimed universities are conferring over 4,500 bachelor degrees, 3,000 master's degrees, 750 doctorate degrees, and 1,750 professional degrees every year in these fields.

Chatham County's rural atmosphere, combined with a high quality of life and proximity to the Research Triangle and Greensboro, gives the county a distinct advantage in attracting this young, highly educated contingent of the regional workforce.  However, 54% of Chatham County's residents commute outside of the county for work.  Chatham County is ready to welcome emerging growth companies, particularly in targeted industry clusters, who can provide employment opportunities for the county's increasingly educated and skilled resident workforce.

Workforce Development & Training Opportunities

Central Carolina Community College provides extensive workforce development opportunities through their occupational and customized industry training programs.  In Chatham County, CCCC's Pittsboro and Siler City campuses provide occupational training and associate degrees in Biofuels Technology, Early Childhood Care, General Occupational Technology, Medical Assistance, Practical Nursing, Sculpture, and Sustainable Agriculture.  Additional vocational training is available at Central Carolina's campuses in Lee and Harnett Counties, including Bioprocess Manufacturing , Bioquality Technology, Business Administration, Computer Information & Engineering , Electronics Engineering, Machining Technology, and Telecommunications.  Visit CCCC's curriculum page for a full listing of program offerings at Central Carolina's three campuses.

Central Carolina Community College also provides customized industrial training programs to assist area employers with initial training, retraining and upgrading the skills of their workers. 

  • Occupational extension courses can be developed for any industrial training need which can be addressed in a classroom or lab environment. Courses are tailored to meet a particular company's needs. They can be held on site or at any of the college's three campuses.  For more detailed information about occupational extension courses in Chatham County, contact Carl Thompson.
  • Customized training programs provide industry-specific training for both new and incumbent employees and are developed through collaboration with stakeholders and subject matter experts in the particular industry.  Contact Cathy Swindell, Director of Industry Services, at 919-718-7212 or cswindell@cccc.edu to find out more about customized training in Chatham County.
  • For more information about other training opportunities, including productivity enhancement training and literacy classes, contact CCCC's Continuing Education Department in Pittsboro.

Tailored workforce training programs are also available through the Department of Commerce's Workforce Services and the Workforce Development Network.  For assistance with industry-specific workforce training, please contact the EDC at info@chathamedc.org.