Recently, the North Carolina Community College System released a Rural Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships Toolkit. The toolkit includes innovative partnership models that are meeting the evolving workforce demands of the state’s advanced manufacturing sector, particularly in rural areas.
The toolkit is designed to equip rural-serving colleges with practical strategies to expand training, strengthen employer partnerships, and meet regional labor demands. The resource includes real-world examples of how colleges are implementing solutions such as apprenticeship programs supported by ApprenticeshipNC, and customized training programs offered through NCEdge. These efforts are part of a larger push to align education and training with high-demand career pathways in advanced manufacturing.
Golden LEAF has supported many of the strategies outlined in the toolkit. See examples of the strategies and the Golden LEAF support projects featured in the toolkit below.
Strategy: Offering special events, camps, demos, tours, and other programs for youth focused on promoting awareness of careers in advanced manufacturing and bridging students into related dual enrollment opportunities.
Project: In 2024, Rockingham Community College was awarded $800,000 by the Golden LEAF Board of Directors for a collaborative workforce development project with Rockingham County Economic Development and Rockingham County Schools to help students explore careers in three high demand career fields, including advanced manufacturing. The project, called LevelUp Rockingham, involves connecting students to career opportunities starting in middle school, leading to aligned high school courses and further career exploration through the college.
Strategy: Creating flexible, innovative spaces dedicated to workforce development in advanced manufacturing and other trades; these often boost economic development by offering prototyping, incubation, and customized training spaces for businesses in the region.
Project: The Volt Center is a workforce development training center located in a former power plant near downtown New Bern that offers hands-on learning in various trades with a special focus on serving nontraditional students. The center identifies emerging industry needs and forges partnerships with local manufacturers, ensuring its training programs remain relevant and responsive. In 2016 the Golden LEAF Board awarded the City of New Bern $549,000 to create a Workforce Development Training Center (Volt Center) in collaboration with Craven Community College. In 2023, the Golden LEAF Board awarded Craven Community College $495,115 to support the development and implementation of a heavy equipment operator program and the creation of a construction trade/light manufacturer incubator at the Volt Center.
Strategy: Leveraging regional and statewide networks—including industry-specific hubs—to offer training, recruitment support, and other services to employers at scale.
Project: In 2015, the Golden LEAF Board awarded $641,071 to Pitt Community College to support the creation of the Biopharmaceutical Center of Excellence and $1,067,065 to East Carolina University to assist with training at its Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) training lab. The North Carolina Pharmaceutical Services Network (PSN) is a unique collaboration that provides a continuum of pharmaceutical education and training to new and existing companies in North Carolina. Services offered through these programs were developed with significant industry input.
Strategy: Connecting adults who advise and support youth—including K-12 educators, school counselors, and family members—with opportunities to learn more about modern day careers in advanced manufacturing.
Project: In 2019, the Golden LEAF Board awarded $438,900 to the Mid-East Commission to support advanced manufacturing companies located in Beaufort, Bertie, Martin, Hertford, Pitt and Hyde counties to address the critical shortage of available skilled workers. To address the shortage, the Mid-East Commission developed the Rivers East Academy to immerse local teachers in learning about local careers in advanced manufacturing as a means of creating student interest in these career opportunities and educating the future workforce. Over two years, four cohorts of educators (more than 100 total) gained insights and connections with local employers to help guide students toward successful careers. A series of externships enabled educators to spend a day on-site with regional employers.
Strategy: Coordinating and/or supporting work-based learning opportunities in advanced manufacturing—including job shadowing, internships, and Youth or PreApprenticeship Programs that bridge into Registered Apprenticeship Programs—for high school students and recent graduates.
Project: In 2024, the Golden LEAF Board awarded Surry County Schools $603,230 to support the start-up of the Surry-Yadkin FLEET (Fostering Learning through Education, Employment, and Trades) Program which was a new component of Surry-Yadkin Works. Coordinated by Surry Community College, FLEET focuses on preparing area high school students for high-wage positions in the manufacturing sector in partnership with Altec. Selected students from Elkin City Schools, Mount Airy City Schools, Surry County Schools, and Yadkin County Schools attend high school classes at Altec’s Mt. Airy operations facility for half of the school day and learn a trade through a paid Pre-Apprenticeship experience with the company for the other half of the school day.
To access the full Rural Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships Toolkit, click here.