Out of those conversations came Good Jobs Western North Carolina, a coalition spanning 23 counties that brings together 11 community colleges, employers, foundations, workforce boards, and national nonprofit America Achieves. The coalition has a shared goal of connecting residents to stable, family-sustaining careers in industries including healthcare, manufacturing, and the skilled trades.

Leaders behind Good Jobs WNC say the Hurricane Helene recovery effort has underscored both longstanding workforce shortages and the need for stronger alignment between education and industry.

“Hurricane Helene brought a new level of urgency to workforce training across Western North Carolina,” said Dr. Laura B. Leatherwood, president of Blue Ridge Community College. “It intensified existing shortages in fields like healthcare, engineering, advanced manufacturing, and the skilled trades, while also highlighting just how critical these roles are to community resilience and recovery.”

Leatherwood said the storm sharpened the college’s focus on the industries most essential to rebuilding infrastructure, housing, healthcare systems, emergency response, and local businesses.

“We’ve come a long way since Helene, but across Western North Carolina, there are still plenty of bridges, roads, water lines, utility lines, buildings, parks, and other assets in need of repair or replacement,” Leatherwood said. “Preparing a workforce to meet those needs is central to our region’s recovery and to ensuring we are ready for whatever comes next.”

The coalition includes Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Blue Ridge Community College, Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, Catawba Valley Community College, Haywood Community College, Isothermal Community College, Mayland Community College, McDowell Technical Community College, Southwestern Community College, Tri-County Community College, and Western Piedmont Community College.

The initiative has already secured more than $2.5 million in philanthropic commitments, including support from the John M. Belk Endowment and The Leon Levine Foundation. 

The program’s structure centers heavily on employer collaboration. Community colleges participating in the initiative are currently preparing planning and capacity-building grant proposals that will help operationalize Good Jobs WNC during the 2026-27 academic year.

“Operationalizing Good Jobs WNC begins with listening,” Leatherwood said. “We regularly ask our partners: What do you need from your workforce? Where are you experiencing challenges? What are your goals for the future? Those conversations, paired with data and the expertise of our faculty, directly shape our programs, from curriculum design to flexible training options that meet employers where they are.”

Leatherwood said Blue Ridge Community College currently maintains more than 600 industry and community partnerships tied to 200 credential programs across 30 areas of study.

At Haywood Community College, President Dr. Shelley White said employer involvement is central to the initiative’s long-term success.

“The heart of Good Jobs WNC is a spirit of community,” White said. “This means employers will work alongside the college to define, plan, and build training programs that meet the essential workforce needs our communities are facing right now.”

White said the college is focusing particularly on skilled trades while building on the momentum of the Skills Trades Alliance recently launched through the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce.

Leaders involved in the coalition repeatedly emphasized that “good jobs” means more than simply employment.

“For this project, good jobs are defined as family-sustaining wages ($18-$28/hour based on local cost of living using the MIT Living Wage Calculator), benefits, and advancement potential,” White said.

Leatherwood described good jobs as positions that work for both employees and employers while creating long-term regional stability.

“For the individual, a good job provides family sustaining wages, benefits, and stability that align with their goals and reflect the realities of our region’s cost of living and housing,” Leatherwood said. “It also offers a pathway for growth where skills and knowledge can continue to develop over time.”

She added that the broader economic impact compounds as more workers connect with stable employment.

“A strong labor force—built at scale on thousands of these successful matches—creates a more resilient, prosperous community for all of Western North Carolina,” Leatherwood said.

While true labor shortages remain a challenge across many sectors, college leaders say awareness is often one of the biggest barriers for prospective workers.

“The biggest issue we see is the surprising number (adults and recent high school graduates alike) who do not know of the opportunities available to them right here in Haywood County,” White said. “At Haywood Community College, we have increased access to programs that lead to good jobs right here in our community and region.”

At Blue Ridge Community College, leaders say transferable skills and workplace readiness remain persistent gaps between training and employer expectations.

“One of the most persistent gaps employers identify is in transferable skills and overall professional readiness,” Leatherwood said. “This includes areas such as communication, teamwork, problem solving, and overall professionalism in the workplace.”

She said artificial intelligence (AI) fluency is also becoming increasingly important across industries.

“Moving forward, AI skills must be incorporated into the training and education strategy for every sector, and developing this strategy is a priority not only for Blue Ridge, but the Good Jobs WNC partnership as a whole,” Leatherwood said.

Several colleges are already expanding or redesigning programs in response to workforce demand. At Blue Ridge Community College, Leatherwood pointed to growing opportunities in healthcare, engineering, construction, electrical work, HVAC, welding, plumbing, and masonry.

“In healthcare, the Healthcare Fellows program is a standout example,” Leatherwood said, describing a partnership involving Henderson County Public Schools, UNC Health Pardee, and AdventHealth Hendersonville that allows students to begin career pathways while still in high school.

“With financial support from employer partners, they complete their education at little to no cost and move directly into jobs with those same organizations,” Leatherwood said. “It is a win for everyone.”

The college has also expanded engineering offerings in response to employer feedback and post-Helene rebuilding needs.

“Engineers are in high demand,” Leatherwood said. “As one of the few colleges in the region offering this breadth of engineering programs, Blue Ridge graduates are well-positioned for immediate employment or for continued study through seamless transfer to bachelor’s degree programs within the University of North Carolina system.”

Regional leaders involved in Good Jobs WNC view the effort as part of a larger shift in how workforce development is approached in North Carolina. The initiative aligns with broader statewide attainment goals championed by organizations like myFutureNC while also building on existing workforce and apprenticeship strategies.

For leaders involved in Good Jobs WNC, success will ultimately be measured not only in workforce statistics, but in long-term regional stability and economic mobility.

“Each student reaching their goal is a success,” White said. “We want to increase the number of students connecting with these opportunities, retain them to complete, and have a successful connection to an employer. With all our community colleges working together across WNC, we will see a major impact.”

Learn more at GoodJobsEconomy.org.