Future Forward Charlotte Launch Builds Talent Pathways, Fuels Economy
Published on June 24, 2025
The City of Charlotte has launched a new initiative to better understand local talent needs and to create career pathways, helping more Charlotte residents access jobs in the region’s fastest-growing industries.
Future Forward Charlotte began this month with direct outreach to human resources leaders across the region. The effort is the first step in a larger plan to align educational pathways and training programs with the current needs of local industries.
Future Forward Charlotte is led by the city’s Economic Development Department in partnership with CAEL (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning), a leading national educational and workforce development nonprofit, and the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance.
“Charlotte’s continued growth depends on our ability to connect our residents to opportunity — and to meet the evolving needs of businesses,” Assistant City Manager Alyson Craig said. “With Future Forward Charlotte we are taking steps to help our residents prepare for in-demand careers and help businesses grow, compete, and stay here. By investing in innovative talent solutions, we’re making Charlotte even more attractive to companies looking to locate in a region that’s serious about its workforce.”
In July, the initiative will host a series of industry-specific roundtables with hiring leaders representing dozens of local employers in key industry sectors. The sessions will engage HR executives and other hiring leaders representing six of the region’s largest sectors — Business and Management, Advanced Manufacturing, Health Care, Life Sciences, Transportation, and Technology. Participants will identify hard-to-fill positions, persistent talent gaps and future workforce needs.
“We’re excited to help build extended pathways that support both occupational entry and rewarding career growth in the Charlotte area,” CAEL President Earl Buford said. “We have a long history of workforce and economic development partnerships in the region and are grateful for this opportunity to continue supporting a strong regional economy.”
These insights will shape a comprehensive industry career pathway mapping project led by CAEL, which will analyze labor market trends, assess training pipelines in the Charlotte region and produce preliminary industry-specific findings for validation by industry leaders.
“Building healthy talent pipelines is essential to supporting robust regional economies, but it can be a heavy lift,” CAEL Vice President Ashley Wilhelm said. “By including the voices of employers from the start, we can ensure education and training are better aligned to meet learner and business needs now and as they evolve in the future.”
Build Better Careers
The initiative builds on the growing success of Build Better Careers, a multi-year initiative created by CAEL and funded by the Truist Foundation that identified career pathways in the financial services sector in Charlotte and four other U.S. regions.
Insights from the initiative helped launch an eight-week job training program for adults pursuing careers in finance and banking. BankWork$ launched in Charlotte in 2023 in a partnership with Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, CareerWork$, CAEL, the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance and the City of Charlotte.
“For our region to remain successful, it’s crucial that we remove barriers so that everyone has a chance to thrive,” said Tracy Dodson, chief operating officer and head of economic development for the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance. “Where It Starts showed that by taking an employer-informed approach can help open the door for adult learners for careers in finance. We are thrilled to partner on Future Forward Charlotte, which will follow the same approach on a broader cross-sector strategy.”
To date, 134 students have graduated from BankWork$. Of those who were placed in jobs, 72% secured positions in the financial sector, earning an average hourly wage of $20.15. Employers include Wells Fargo, Fifth Third Bank, LPL Financial and State Employees Credit Union.
Data to Action
Following the roundtables, CAEL and Charlotte Economic Development will synthesize employer input and labor data into sector-specific career pathway maps and recommendations. These outputs will inform future investment in workforce development, training and education.
Future Forward Charlotte is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and will support the city’s larger workforce development efforts.
For more information on Future Forward Charlotte, please email economicdevelopment@charlottenc.gov.
About CAEL
Recognizing that adult learners are the backbone of the U.S. economy, CAEL helps forge a clear, viable connection between education and career success, providing solutions that promote sustainable and equitable economic growth. CAEL opens doors to opportunity in collaboration with workforce and economic developers, postsecondary educators, employers and industry groups, and foundations and other mission-aligned organizations. By engaging with these stakeholders, CAEL fosters a culture of innovative, lifelong learning that helps individuals, and their communities thrive. A national membership organization established in 1974, CAEL is a part of Strada Collaborative, a mission-driven nonprofit. Learn more by visiting the CAEL website.