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11.30.2023
On Wednesday, Nov. 8, representatives from more than 85 organizations and institutions based in Western North Carolina attended the A3 Education and Workforce Symposium at UNC Asheville. The event was organized by the Talent First Economics Community Cohort Western Mountain Region team, a group of certified workforce development leaders helping increase employment opportunities for underrepresented workers in the region.
The symposium aimed to “Align, Aspire and Achieve” the region’s educational attainment and workforce development goals by gathering leaders across education, government, business and community-based sectors. Attendees had the opportunity to present their respective programs, learn from industry peers, and develop a greater understanding of the resources and organizations available to potential Western North Carolina workers and their employers.
Land of Sky P-20 Council Executive Director Emily Nicholson said the need to combine both education and workforce was an obvious choice when planning for the event.
“Research has proven more and more that you can’t separate K-12 from post secondary [education],” explained Nicholson. “So it sort of is a natural thing for us to thread those things together.”
At the symposium, attendees heard from Biltmore Farms CEO and IEI National Advisory Board Chair Jack Cecil, UNC Asheville Interim Chancellor Kimberly Van Noort, and myFutureNC President and CEO Cecelia Holden. Holden presented myFutureNC’s county data profiles, detailing the western region’s strengths and weaknesses in reaching North Carolina’s educational attainment goal. Following these remarks ncIMPACT Director Anita Brown-Graham led an employer discussion panel that illustrated to attendees the ways in which employers and businesses are working to bridge gaps between workforce and education needs.
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