Cooper and Forest pitch their agendas to NC’s tech industry at virtual summit
Gov. Roy Cooper and his challenger in the November election, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, addressed North Carolina’s tech industry on Thursday, appearing virtually at an annual conference to highlight how their agendas mesh with the state’s growing tech economy.
The event, hosted by the North Carolina Technology Association, gave each candidate a few minutes to speak via video, and both focused heavily on education.
“We must invest in education from cradle to career,” Cooper said. “One of my top priorities is getting North Carolina job ready. That means helping people get the skills they need for better paying jobs, and then connecting businesses to those skilled workers.”
Forest called for transforming the state’s K-12 schools system “with real computer science curriculum, so that we can fill the pipeline that you so desperately need filled and create well paying jobs in all communities across our state.”
The focus on education wasn’t surprising, as it is one of the main concerns of technology companies. The industry has long complained about a skills gap leaving thousands of software development, data analytics and artifical intelligence positions unfilled.
Brooks Raiford, the head of NC Tech, said the state tech industry’s policy interests haven’t changed in the past few years.
“The two things that far and away outpace (other issues) ... (are) education and more generally an inclusive environment as a state,” Raiford said.
Education is crucial because the demand for talent is so strong in North Carolina, Raiford said, and the state can only rely so much on the in-migration of talented workers.
And increasingly, he said, tech workers want to live in a place that is accepting of people of various backgrounds.
“Social policy is very important because they are recruiting from all over.... We want to make sure we are not hanging out the unwelcome sign,” he said.
Four years ago, House Bill 2, also known as the bathroom bill, was a top issue in the North Carolina gubernatorial race as it led to widespread boycotts. The National Basketball Association moved its all-star weekend away from Charlotte because of the law, and global banking giant Credit Suisse refused to expand its tech hub in Research Triangle Park while the law was on the books.
Cooper supported repealing the bill, while Forest wanted it kept intact. In 2016, Forest even called Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce, a “corporate bully” after he rallied other CEOs — including Bank of America’s — to oppose HB2, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Now, Raiford said, the issue is no longer a noticeable barrier for recruiting business to the state. “But I think there is some sensitivity to not going back down that road,” he added.
Neither candidate addressed HB2 specifically, though Cooper did stress the need of making the state a welcoming place for all workers.
“I’ll keep fighting to build an even stronger and more equitable North Carolina,” Cooper said. “A North Carolina that is welcoming people from all over the world to do business here, to have a family here, to innovate and to be entrepreneurs.”
What Cooper said
Cooper highlighted his 2019 initiative to reach a goal of two million North Carolinians receiving post-secondary degrees by 2030.
Today, 49% of 25- to 44-year-olds — around 1.4 million North Carolinians — have achieved some form of post-secondary education, The News & Observer previously reported. If that number isn’t boosted, Cooper said, many will be left behind by the modern economy.
“Many good paying jobs of today and tomorrow require skilled workers and specialized training,” Cooper said.
Cooper wants to reach that goal with a proposed $30 million financial-aid package that would cover tuition at community college programs leading to degrees in high-demand fields.
Cooper added that North Carolina needs to keep investing in high-speed internet in rural parts of the state “to help our students keep learning, to help our families keep working and to help people with telemedicine.”
What Forest said
Forest also noted the need to connect rural North Carolina to high-speed internet, so that people in Wilkes County can have just as much opportunity as those in Wake County, he said.
“I believe we will be the first state in the nation to connect the rural and urban last mile with high-speed broadband,” Forest said. “So that our students have equal opportunity in education, and so that our communities can attract the kinds of jobs that will help them grow and thrive.”
In addition to calling for more computer science curriculum in schools, Forest said North Carolina needs a statewide robotics competition to push students to “new levels of thought and creativity.”
Forest called for improving the state’s recruitment of high-tech industries, specifically noting the aerospace business. He recalled visiting an aviation industry event a few years back where he was the only representative from North Carolina. Alabama, he said, had 80 people, including their governor.
“We’re not winning the game (of recruitment) because we’re not in the game,” Forest said.
This story was produced with financial support from a coalition of partners led by Innovate Raleigh as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. Learn more; go to bit.ly/newsinnovate
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Cooper and Forest pitch their agendas to NC’s tech industry at virtual summit."
