The national Good Jobs Framework, developed by America Achieves, is designed to modernize and scale talent systems that connect residents to good jobs while building lasting partnerships with employers. Those partnerships are essential to strengthening workforce development and supporting economic prosperity. 

The three-day summit, held across Western North Carolina and co-hosted by the John M. Belk Endowment, America Achieves, AMY Wellness Foundation, Dogwood Health Trust, The Leon Levine Foundation, and WNC Bridge Foundation, brought together local industry partners, policymakers, state and local funders, education and workforce leaders, and national funders. During the summit, attendees learned more about the region’s recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene and the critical role Good Jobs WNC will play in that recovery.  

“In Western North Carolina, this work has taken on an even greater meaning,” Blue Ridge President Dr. Laura Leatherwood said during the summit. “In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we have been reminded that recovery is not simply about rebuilding roads, bridges, homes, and businesses. True recovery is also about rebuilding opportunity.” 

Dr. Leatherwood said that good jobs are central to recovery, noting that they provide stability for families, talent for employers, and most importantly, hope for the future.

Strengthening a Region through Higher Education

Blue Ridge Community College’s Good Jobs WNC project, Strengthening Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing (SEAM) Talent Pipelines in Post-Helene Western North Carolina, incorporates short-term academies designed to move individuals quickly into engineering and advanced manufacturing jobs that pay a family-sustaining wage. The project also includes a scalable approach to employer engagement that listens to industry needs, analyzes labor market trends, and uses those insights to inform workforce training.

The College selected engineering and advanced manufacturing because of the sectors’ high-demand for employees, ability to pay a livable wage, projected job growth, and critical role in supporting the region’s infrastructural recovery. Additionally, the College already successfully offers programs and training in both fields. 

The academies have several unique components, including their affordability for students and curriculum designed and delivered with the help of local employers. This approach ensures students receive relevant content and hands-on-training that can be applied directly on the job. 

“The student underpins everything that we are doing,” Dr. Connie Wolfe, Blue Ridge’s executive vice president of programs said. “We’re focused on a living wage and wraparound student support, which you don’t always see in customized training or standard occupational coursework.” 

Dr. Wolfe said the academies provide a quick route to a good job while also giving students the opportunity to build on their credentials and advance their careers if they choose. 

As part of its work with Good Jobs WNC, Blue Ridge has been meeting with local employers in the engineering and advanced manufacturing sectors to identify workforce gaps in specific occupations and discuss the work-ready skills needed for those jobs.

“We’re taking a different approach to our conversations with employers,” Dr. Wolfe said. “Instead of starting with what the College offers, we’re asking employers to identify specific job needs and skills.” 

Joseph Taylor, group leader for Bunnell-Lammons Engineering (BLE), spoke during the summit about his company’s involvement with Blue Ridge and the workforce gaps the engineering sector has experienced following Helene.

“If you go to any firm in the area and ask, ‘What is your biggest problem?’ the answer is people. We don’t have enough people to do it [recovery work].”

Helene caused more than 2,000 landslides and damaged more than 6,000 state-maintained roads, along with nearly 10,000 individual sites that were reported as damaged. Companies like BLE continue to work on repairs, but the region’s recovery is expected to take at least a decade, requiring a steady pipeline of workers across critical infrastructure sectors.

This week, Blue Ridge learned it would receive $300,000 through Good Jobs WNC to help launch its engineering and advanced manufacturing academies, currently planned to begin in early spring.

Investing for the Future 

During the summit, $3.3 million in new philanthropic commitments to Good Jobs WNC was announced.

The Rockefeller Foundation, the first national philanthropy to commit to Good Jobs WNC, committed $1 million over the next two years. That investment triggered a matching two-year, $2 million investment from the John M. Belk Endowment. The North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline (NC GSK) Foundation also recently announced its funding support for Good Jobs WNC.

The Good Jobs WNC Steering Committee also announced $3.2 million from the Good Jobs Program Fund for all 11 community colleges.

Early support for Good Jobs WNC included funding from North Carolina philanthropies including the John M. Belk Endowment and The Leon Levine Foundation. That support has since expanded to include the North Carolina Community Colleges Foundation, SECU Foundation, AMY Wellness Foundation, WNC Bridge Foundation, C.D. Spangler Foundation, Cannon Foundation, Dogwood Health Trust, Pisgah Health Foundation, and NC GSK Foundation.

“We’re grateful to the forward-thinking funders and partners behind Good Jobs WNC for investing in this work to build talent, strengthen connections regionally, and prepare workers for rewarding, family-sustaining careers,” added Dr. Leatherwood.

Source: Blue Ridge Community College.