GuilfordWorks – together with Guilford Technical Community College, High Point Economic Development, and Business High Point Chamber of Commerce – is hosting a Furniture Industry Roundtable in High Point on Thursday, April 25.
The Roundtable will consist of a wide-ranging discussion of subjects such as the challenges currently facing the industry, potential solutions to those challenges, and existing workforce trends.
The discussion will be open to everyone who wishes to attend; however, those planning to come should register beforehand by visiting GuilfordWorks.org.
Though some former High Point furniture companies have pulled out of High Point over the decades and moved to other places around the world, that business is still critical to the city – and the name High Point remains very strongly intertwined with the furniture industry.
High Point’s two annual furniture markets held in the city always pull in industry leaders from around the world.
This discussion comes right on the heels of High Point’s Spring Furniture Market, which ran from Saturday, April 13 to Wednesday, April 17. In 2024, the fall dates for the furniture market are from Saturday, Oct. 26 to Wednesday, Oct. 30.
One area of focus during the discussion will be workforce development and recruiting strategies for the industry.
The Roundtable will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on April 25.
It will take place in Suite 302 at High Point City Hall, which you can find if you set your GPS to 211 S. Hamilton St.
GuilfordWorks is an agency that, through its NCWorks Career Centers, helps those looking for employment. One stated goal of GuilfordWorks is to help people “find meaningful work and keep it.”
To achieve that goal, GuilfordWorks offers job seekers assessments, counseling, and workshops, as well as services such as free resume feedback and makeovers.
The agency also works with employers looking for good help and it attempts to match those companies up with the right candidates.
More information can be found at GuilfordWorks.org.
It’s HP v/s Las Vegas.
There is little to no woodworking done in North Carolina anymore. It has all gone to Viet Nam, Indonesia, The Philippines, and China.
Upholstery and it’s accompanying skill set is a very tough business with many retailers making or importing their own products.
Before High Point or anywhere else decides to incorporate local tax dollars into any plan I think a reality check is needed.
I will say one of the better meetings with open discussions about training and job opportunities that I have attended.
Being able to speak firsthand about how industry is missing out on potential hires and the blocks put in place that unintentionally bock students from employment. With the 3-year High School Graduation starting soon, Industry and laws need to change for young people to start a lifelong career and opportunities. A question was asked about Carpentry classes being expanded. We offer Carpentry at only 6 of the 18 regular High Schools. We need expansion of those programs and other vocational areas in all our High Schools.