High-Road Industry Partnerships in the U.S. South: Leading from the Emerging Future

When I talk to friends from New York and California about the historic federal investment flowing to the South, they wonder if the region can serve as a genuine model for equity-centered economic and workforce development approaches.??

The importance of getting the model right have implications for poverty reduction. According to the U.S. Census, more than half (54.9%) of people who lived in persistent poverty in the nation were in the South region, outsizing the South’s 38% share of U.S. population (Source ). From 1989 to 2019, about 19.4 million people lived in areas with high poverty rates (20% or more for around 30 years).?All states with persistent poverty rates of over 14% are in the South.

While marked with challenges, the South's story is one of resilience and untapped potential. This vision echoes the call for justice, progress, and unity that our nation demands, particularly in a moment of heightened division. Just as I've chosen not to shy away from the complexities of our history, I prefer to lead from an emerging future with a determination to see our communities thrive and write a new chapter in the region's history of industry 4.0.?

What is at stake? The familiar status quo or the transformative power of high-road industry partnerships in the U.S. South. Opting for the latter promises more economic opportunities for individuals, strengthened collaboration across sectors, and a profound shift towards industry practices that uplift underserved communities and create lasting positive change.

The White House's federal policy has catalyzed private investments exceeding $500 billion, holding the prospect of economic expansion and employment opportunities, especially within regions like the U.S. South. Conversations are underway to tackle workforce shortages in key industries of the future and open doors to new job prospects from private investments. These talks must consider job quality and endorse high-road partnerships and workforce training initiatives to be effective.

Drawing inspiration from the California Workforce Development Board's successful approach, which prioritizes industry-based, worker-centered training collaborations to empower "high road" employers, I think it's time for the U.S. South to embrace leadership that champions similar initiatives at the state and local levels. This proactive leadership can drive meaningful change in the region's economic landscape by fostering innovation, investing in community-led initiatives, and generating family-supporting jobs.

In the U.S. South, we need more efforts to implement a high-road industry partnership model across various sectors, encompassing broadband, clean energy, semiconductor manufacturing, and beyond. While recognizing the U.S. South's distinct history and attributes, these models can serve as a blueprint for our region and the nation.?

To be sure, lingering tensions between community advocates and industry are bubbling amid this record set of federal investments. I recently worked with a group of student Fellows who researched the digital equity ecosystem across the South. One of their main recommendations is establishing a partnership program directly with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) eligible for the $42B in broadband infrastructure funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). However, there is a debate among advocates about how much traditional ISPs can be trusted, given their past track record on digital equity. Another flavor of this debate is emerging in the South around the role of prominent industrial clean energy players in manufacturing and hydrogen.?

Notwithstanding the complicated history of industry on equity and sustainability, there is clearly a need for advocates to think strategically about the role of the private sector in achieving equity and sustainability goals over the medium term because of its central importance to the U.S. economy and the design of federal funding which is intended to promote market-led opportunities for transformation.?

I am excited to partner with others, thinking about innovative ways to achieve stakeholder alignment, address economic incentives, and overcome existing barriers to high-road industry partnerships. I am particularly excited to think about strategies to promote these partnerships in red states.?

Given the U.S. South's political diversity context, local leaders must bridge ideological divides and foster collaboration across party lines, as bipartisanship is crucial for achieving impactful change at the?state level?and finding shared solutions to challenges. This means continuing our commitment to equitable economic and workforce development but investing in genuine relationship-building and strategic communications research to appeal to those who may be otherwise opposed.?

I think there is really a lot of opportunity to develop strategies for high-road workforce training that are both?sectoral?and?population?specific focused on enabling immigrants and refugees, women, veterans, second chance/formerly incarcerated individuals, and others. Earlier this week, I attended the?Sixth National MBE Manufacturers Summit?in Atlanta, Georgia, and was thoroughly inspired by presentations by industry leaders and collaborators about equity-centered approaches to talent development in advanced manufacturing.?

There is a level of curiosity and openness to experiment with new approaches, and that is something that I hope advocates are ready to roll up their sleeves and support private industry on.?

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