Future of Work - United Way Greater Triangle

A united regional workforce system that creates opportunity for all.

Uniting to Fulfill the Triangle’s Founding Promise: Shared Prosperity

Nearly seventy years ago, an unlikely group of leaders united around a vision to turn a North Carolina pine forest into a research park that would “lift up all the people of North Carolina.”

Today, the Triangle is home to the world’s largest research park and ranks among the nation’s fastest-growing regions. However, the work of creating opportunity for all people remains unfinished.

We envision a Triangle that embodies the collaborative spirit, bold vision, and sustained investment that built our region—uniting employers, educators, and investors to ensure every resident has a path to a quality job and every employer can access skilled, local talent.

The Triangle's Growth Challenge

The Triangle economy is growing faster than our ability to connect residents to it. In the last decade, the Triangle has grown more than 50% [1] – Forty-eight people move to Raleigh every day. [2] As opportunity continues to grow in emerging sectors, we will continue to attract talent from around the world.

[1] Wake County Economic Development, “Triangle Region Leads the Way in North Carolina’s Rapid Growth,” August 21, 2025
[2] The Coley Group via Axios/Redfin data, “Why 48 People a Day Are Moving to Raleigh”

Fragmented programs and limited capacity hinder our workforce system. Disconnected services and stretched resources limit our ability to connect residents to opportunity at the scale we need.

This is both an economic imperative and an opportunity to fulfill the Triangle’s founding promise. It’s time to close the gap with the same vision, collaboration, and sustained investment that built Research Triangle Park.

The Triangle now works better for newcomers than for North Carolinians who built this region. The income gap between residents born in other states versus those born in North Carolina grew to $23,500 in 2023—up from $15,200 in 2016. Place of birth has become more predictive of earnings than gender or race.

We risk talent shortages that limit economic growth while leaving more residents behind. Nearly 1,000 Triangle employers surveyed in 2023 reported critical talent gaps. For the first time, over 50% cited needs for ‘other professional certifications,’ revealing untapped demand for workers with associate degrees, certificates, and apprenticeships in high-growth sectors.

Our cross-sector partnerships position us to advance this work, but we can’t do this alone – no one can. We see an opportunity to support creating a united workforce system by bringing stakeholders together to build shared understanding, adding capacity to and investing in quality initiatives, and elevating what works.

Our Vision

An Aligned, Responsive Regional Workforce System

We envision a Triangle defined by shared prosperity—where every resident has a clear path to a quality career, powering a regional economy in which all residents share in the benefits of economic growth.

Driving this shared prosperity is a united workforce system built on three foundations:

Employer Leadership Creates Alignment

Industry leaders define their sector’s talent needs, providing the clear signal needed to align efforts and catalyze investment.

Priority Challenges Enables Coordinated Solutions

Industry, education, and workforce partners identify critical challenges, uncover root causes, and coordinate solutions that no single organization could implement alone.

Outcomes Drive Improvement and Investment

Demonstrated results create a virtuous cycle—fueling continuous improvement across the system while attracting deeper investment from public and private stakeholders.

Our United Approach

We are partnering to align the Triangle’s workforce ecosystem, leveraging the United Way’s three core capabilities:

Convene

to enhance shared understanding and alignment, and to add capacity to support collaboration between private, public, and nonprofit partners.

Invest

in quality workforce initiatives that deliver outcomes for workers and employers.

Amplify

exemplars of regional collaboration and providing capacity to scale ambitious solutions.

Our Work

Pathway Navigators:

Building capacity in community-based organizations to guide residents to quality training and careers.

Aspen Institute Workforce  Leadership Academy:

Building a collaborative network of workforce leaders across the region and cultivating innovative solutions to our region’s workforce challenges.

Launch the Durham Early College of Health Sciences:

Offering students four pathways into quality jobs in the Duke Health System.

Scale Durham Dual Attainment Partnership:

Ensuring 25% of Durham Public Schools graduates graduate with a postsecondary credential aligned to a quality job.

Get Involved

The Triangle’s workforce challenges require all of us. Join the employers, educators, and investors shaping our region’s future.

Follow the Future of Work on LinkedIn and join our Future of Work  newsletter mailing list. 

Inspiration and connection with the people, programs, and resources driving impact
Access resources for leaders looking to build the Triangle’s workforce
Partner with us to incubate solutions or implement initiatives

Contact Us!

Want to learn more or get involved? Reach out to the United Way of the Greater Triangle’s Future of Work team to start the conversation.