Foundations for a Sustainable Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nOutcomes from the Outer Banks Workforce Network and its initiatives are still emerging, according to Knollenberg. Early signs suggest they are fostering collaboration and building a foundation for long-term solutions to the region\u2019s workforce challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knollenberg plans to continue expanding the network and envisions it as a bridge between the workforce and decision-makers, hosting informal events and providing other structured opportunities for leaders to hear directly from those on the ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through conversations, surveys and other forms of engagement, Knollenberg hopes to make it easier for policymakers to understand the challenges and priorities of the Outer Banks workforce, ensuring that decisions are informed by local realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knollenberg noted that although policymakers are not all equally engaged, many are interested in hearing from workforce members and community partners in the Outer Banks and want to use that input to make more informed decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Whatever solutions come from these conversations, Knollenberg emphasized that they must come from within the community while being supported and informed by outside resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe people in the Outer Banks are incredibly resilient and know how to support themselves. What can help them succeed is bringing in outside resources and perspectives. Communities naturally focus on their own situations, which is important, but it can also make it harder to see opportunities from elsewhere,\u201d Knollenberg said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knollenberg hopes to eventually collaborate with Outer Banks communities on research that directly supports them while bringing in academic rigor to ensure the work is well-designed and useful. In the near term, she will be publishing extension-related materials, including a report summarizing the Outer Banks Workforce Summit, to provide actionable insights.<\/p>\n\n\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
North Carolina\u2019s Outer Banks generates billions in tourism revenue, yet the region faces a housing shortage and other workforce challenges that strain its economy. NC State professor Whitney Knollenberg is working with the community to develop practical, real-world solutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":171,"featured_media":27120,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"views\/single-immersive.blade.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-immersive-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"backgroundColor\":\"custombg_six\",\"caption\":\"North Carolina State University professor Whitney Knollenberg stands in front of the Ocracoke Island Lighthouse, North Carolina's oldest lighthouse in operation. Knollenberg collaborates with stakeholders in Ocracoke and other Outer Banks communities where tourism is a primary economic driver to improve their sustainable tourism practices, community planning and workforce development strategies. Photo provided\",\"displayCategoryID\":179,\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"subtitle\":\"Whitney Knollenberg is leading a community-driven effort that connects regional stakeholders and resources to tackle challenges ranging from affordable housing to childcare.\",\"titleColor\":\"custombg_one\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[179,1,102,121,3],"tags":[42,268,272],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"class_list":["post-41963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-impact-and-outreach","category-hidden-news","category-hidden-newswire","category-prtm-research","category-research-innovation","tag-parks-recreation-and-tourism-management","tag-prtm-research","tag-sustainable-tourism"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":179,"name":"Impact and Outreach","slug":"impact-and-outreach","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":179,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Explore our faculty and students\u2019 powerful impact throughout North Carolina and beyond \u2014 from helping communities become more resilient against climate change to promoting agritourism to support local farmers.","parent":0,"count":66,"filter":"raw"},"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/171"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41963"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41963\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42265,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41963\/revisions\/42265"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41963"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=41963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}