As tariffs – either imposed or threatened – by the Trump administration rattle markets and potentially disrupt food and beverage manufacturing supply chains, U.S. companies may feel the squeeze, experiencing higher prices on imported ingredients. These manufacturers may, in turn, face tough decisions on sourcing and wider operations. Still, amid this disruption lies opportunity, in the form of reshoring portions of food and beverage manufacturing that could be stood up in the United States. For those seeking this course, public-private customized workforce training programs offer a strong path to more rapid success.
By equipping employers with skilled domestic talent – especially if they choose to reshore or scale up U.S. production – these programs help fortify the industry against external shocks like what is being seen in the headlines today. This is particularly crucial since the food and beverage industry has already long navigated persistent labor shortages. So, not only can these programs help strengthen supply chains and reduce reliance on volatile international markets, but they can also help boost local economies and create more resilient, future-ready manufacturing jobs for the innovation seen in the industry today.
North Carolina – which boasts the fourth largest food and beverage industry in the United States and operates a robust customized training program – has become an effective model, attracting nearly $350 million in recent investment from expanding food manufacturers. Its strength is driven in part by its customized approach to workforce development efforts, carried out as a direct partnership between private and public entities, including the state’s network of community colleges.
More broadly, these training programs help enhance regional strength, better equipping employers, municipalities, counties, states and regions to withstand the potential impacts of new trade policies. With that in mind, here are several key components to an effective customized training program in 2025, and ways in which they address key challenges felt in the food and beverage industry.
Bespoke training yields success
Given the recent tariff rhetoric, many companies are indeed considering reshoring efforts to offset negative effects. This period of transition presents a unique moment to invest in talent development.
Created in close collaboration with area food and beverage employers, customized training programs deliver specialized, industry-specific training that addresses the sector’s unique needs. From Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs) to rigorous food safety standards, participants gain hands-on, real-world experience that prepares them to contribute immediately and effectively in an food and beverage production environment. With a curriculum built to meet regulatory and quality demands, these bespoke programs ensure companies don’t just fill roles but instead elevate their operations.
A high-impact program for this sector starts with a robust needs assessment and labor market data analysis. Plus, by engaging directly with the regional employers (including their HR teams), public sector entities can more easily identify skills gaps and tailor training accordingly. There can also be a concentration of training in a particular geographic locale that will help attract more food and beverage businesses to that area.
Additional collaboration with state agencies – particularly state Departments of Agriculture – also adds critical value, by aligning job training with current food policy, safety standards, industry trends, and even new funding opportunities particular to the city, county, or state context.
Meeting a range of evolving needs
As with other industries, the food and beverage manufacturing sector is evolving quickly, embracing advanced automation (true among 78% of manufacturers), AI-driven technologies, and robotics, all designed to optimize production. As this pivotal industry embraces more next-gen features, the workforce training approach must also adapt, and do so rapidly.
Food and beverage-related training programs are intentionally agile – with upgradable curricula meant to reflect the latest operational and technological trends. For instance, this must factor in the acute need for cybersecurity expertise – as practitioners are essential to operating the networks and IoT technologies used within today’s manufacturing facilities. By working within a network of public-private entities, individual companies don’t have to carry this adaptation burden alone.
Overall, industry trainees don’t just learn how to perform tasks, they must learn how to think critically, adapt to change, and use emerging tools to improve efficiency and quality. This helps ensure companies remain competitive in the fast-moving global marketplace, all while elevating the local workforce and turning it into a strategic advantage.
Expanding access to today’s training programs
To build a highly resilient domestic food and beverage manufacturing base – and expand its growth beyond the current expected annual 1% – these programs must collectively broaden access to opportunity. Programs like NCEdge in North Carolina are designed with flexibility at their core, offering convenient, modular training options that accommodate the busy lives of mid-career professionals, career-changers, and even retirees looking to re-engage with the workforce.
By removing barriers to entry and upskilling a wider talent pool, the programs can create a steady pipeline of capable workers ready to step into new and reshored roles. This type of inclusivity is not only a workforce initiative, but it is also a dependable economic growth strategy.
Future-proofing food and beverage manufacturing
In a period that will likely be historically marked by shifting trade dynamics and the growing potential for reshored or expanded domestic manufacturing production, it’s more important than ever to build a capable, adaptable, and growing workforce in the food and beverage industry. The expansion of customized, public-private workforce training programs nationwide will undoubtedly prove to be an effective solution.
Their bespoke nature, along with their focus on emerging technologies and broader access, help create a pipeline that is not only job-ready but also resilient. This helps fortify businesses against political trade disruptions, while simultaneously supporting industrial competitiveness.
Altogether, this type of training must be rooted in data, shaped by employer input, and aligned with state and regional economic development strategies – ensuring that talent development isn’t an afterthought, but instead a differentiator for those choosing where to expand and invest in their food and beverage businesses.
By investing in flexible, comprehensive programs, manufacturers across the United States can meet changing labor demands and future-proof the sector. In doing so, they will also help create stronger local economies and a more secure national supply chain, which is a goal we all can certainly agree to be of value to all Americans, no matter what side of the aisle we sit.
