North Carolina’s community colleges are using creative strategies to recruit career and technical instructional roles. Golden LEAF Programs staff see firsthand these real challenges in the workforce preparedness projects they manage. Whether the Golden LEAF funds awarded support a new advanced manufacturing lab, a nursing expansion, or a skilled trades facility, one reality consistently surfaces: buildings and equipment are only part of the equation. Qualified instructors are often the critical ingredient.

What happens when opportunity meets rural community pride? In this episode of Golden LEAF Critical Conversations, host Scott T. Hamilton talks with a current Golden LEAF Scholar, a Scholar Alumna, and an internship site host to show exactly how the Golden LEAF Scholarship and Golden LEAF Rural Internship Initiative change lives and shapes communities across North Carolina.

Recently, Golden LEAF President, Chief Executive Officer Scott T. Hamilton sat down with Mary Shuping, Executive Director of the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA), via Zoom and filmed an episode of Critical Conversations. In this series, Scott talks with professionals about economic development issues affecting the state.