Training opportunities for manufacturing careers will soon expand across Vance, Granville, Franklin, and Warren counties, thanks in part to the generous support of the Golden LEAF Foundation.
The North Carolina Community College System announced $1 million in funding from the Golden LEAF Foundation to support AdvanceNC, a collaborative initiative designed to develop a robust talent pipeline to meet the workforce demands of central North Carolina’s rapidly expanding advanced manufacturing sector. AdvanceNC includes 12 North Carolina community colleges, three state colleges and universities, and seven workforce development boards from the 21-county region. The collaborative offers workforce recruitment, specialized training, workforce retention, and awareness and engagement initiatives to ensure the state is a global leader in advanced manufacturing.
Golden LEAF Foundation President and CEO Scott T. Hamilton announced the funding at the State Board of Community Colleges meeting on November 21. VGCC and four other AdvanceNC community college partners, which together support the region’s 12 most rural counties, will receive funding:
- Central Carolina Community College
- Piedmont Community College
- Randolph Community College
- Sandhills Community College
- Vance-Granville Community College
VGCC has been part of the AdvanceNC coalition since its founding in September 2023.
Training for the jobs of tomorrow
In partnership with Education Design Lab and in collaboration with employers, AdvanceNC is developing 10 micro-pathways to standardize training across institutions and to connect learners with high-demand, well-paying jobs. These pathways will permit students to earn “micro-credentials” at local institutions and pursue advanced training within the region. The initial pathways include Industrial Machinery Mechanic, Maintenance Repair Worker, Industrial Electrician, HVAC Technician, Welding, and CNC Machinist. AdvanceNC anticipates an enrollment of 1,000 learners across the 12 community colleges, resulting in at least 800 learners to earn high-demand micro-credentials and third-party industry certifications.
“Meeting the need for skilled workers is essential to the future of rural North Carolina,” Hamilton said. “Through AdvanceNC, these colleges will prepare the talent needed to fill in-demand jobs in one of the fastest-growing regions of our state. Golden LEAF is providing rural communities with the funding to help compete for these advanced manufacturing jobs.”
Beyond the immediate impact, the funding from Golden LEAF Foundation is set to be leveraged, alongside $1.4 million from Education Design Lab and contributions from others. Together, the State Board of Community Colleges, NC Community College System Office, and the North Carolina Community Colleges Foundation are co-leading a collaborative national fundraising effort to secure additional private sector support for AdvanceNC and to replicate the success of AdvanceNC to other industries and in other regions across the state.
“Our System is focused on leading through change by aligning educational opportunities with employer demand,” said Dr. Jeff Cox, NCCCS president. “The Golden LEAF Foundation’s generous funding is a testament to the proven success of AdvanceNC and represents a strategic investment in the future of our state’s workforce and economy. It enables us to deliver high-quality, relevant training that puts North Carolinians to work in great-paying jobs.”
This story originally appeared at nccommunitycolleges.edu.
About Education Design Lab
Education Design Lab is a national nonprofit and intermediary with a mission to co-design an inclusive, skills-based learn+work system that facilitates upward economic mobility and closes opportunity gaps for the New Majority Learner-Earner. Our facilitated design process helps employer and education stakeholder groups co-design and launch scalable, skills-based, education-to-work pathways that align talent supply and demand. Learn more at www.eddesignlab.org.
About the Golden LEAF Foundation
The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to receive a portion of North Carolina’s funding from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers. Golden LEAF has worked to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities through leadership in grantmaking, collaboration, innovation, and stewardship as an independent and perpetual foundation. For more than 25 years, the Golden LEAF Foundation has provided lasting impact to tobacco-dependent, economically distressed, and rural areas of the state. In fiscal year 2025, Golden LEAF helped create 1,665 jobs, more than $116 million in new payrolls, and more than 4,722 workers trained or retrained for higher wages. For more information, visit goldenleaf.org/about.
