Initiatives
Together is how we grow innovative educational ecosystems
The Land of Sky P20 Council does not operate credential or educational attainment programs. However, our strength lies in our ability to advocate for policy change and for increased funding streams for credential attainment. Additionally, we are uniquely positioned to partner with stakeholders seeking funding utilizing a four-county, comprehensive, and collective impact model. We start with attainment outcomes in mind and work backward to develop an attainment plan that is both strategic and intentional.
The Land of Sky P20 Council’s initiatives:
- involve identifying strategies that work locally, based on local employers’ needs
- center assisting attainment partners as a resource to aid in “Connecting the Credential Attainment Dots”
- enhance our strategic directions
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2025
April
Careers That Build Community
We contracted with Jay Korreck of Constructive Learning Design to create a video series initiative called Careers That Build Communities. It is meant to serve as a hub for connecting students with career opportunities in WNC through stories, work-based learning experiences, potential employers and other resources.
March
P20 hosts The 2025 WNC Workforce Conditions Forum & Forecast post-Helene
We brought together the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, NC Dept of Commerce, Governor’s Recovery Office for WNC, The Division of Community Revitalization and Lightcast, Inc. to hear the economic statistics post-Helene and facilitated an open forum discussion with leaders in both the educational and workforce sectors here in WNC.
January
P20 Awarded $1.5M YouthBuild from DOL
The U.S. Department of Labor recently awarded $1,500,000 to Land of Sky Regional Council for a grant in the YouthBuild program, which will support training and employment services to prepare and equip young workers for quality jobs. The Land of Sky P20 Council, for which Land of Sky Regional Council serves as the fiscal agent, will administer the grant.
Our student voice program is in its second year! As with prior cohorts, this group of Student Representatives hail from high schools and postsecondary institutions from all over the Land of Sky region.
September
Third Cohort of Student Representatives
For this collaboration in Transylvania County, we partnered with a local employer, a K-12 school system, two community colleges, and a university to introduce high school students–our emerging workforce–to manufacturing careers.
April
Third #worklocal Campaign
P20 was selected to join the Financial Resilience Community Cohort organized by NC State University’s Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI). We will be focusing on increasing postsecondary financial aid awareness among communities and families in Western North Carolina.
April
P20 Selected by NC State Institute for Emerging Issues
2024
Our second group of Student Ambassadors includes 21 students who represent high schools, community colleges, and universities from all four of our counties. These essential stakeholders add student voices to our work.
March
Spring 2024 Cohort of Student Ambassadors
We printed and distributed fliers, in English and Spanish, to send home with every senior in our region’s high schools to promote FAFSA Day.
January
FAFSA Day
2023
November
First Cohort of Student Ambassadors
We added Students as Stakeholders with 20 Student Ambassadors for the Fall 2023 semester. As a result, we hope to increase equity and improve outcomes for all students
Our Region’s First Education and Workforce Symposium
As part of IEI’s Talent First – Western Corhort, we partnered with five other local organizations and two statewide organizations to hold this event that highlighted our region’s innovative practices for educational attainment.
June
Second #worklocal Campaign
Through this collaboration in Henderson County with a local employer, a K-12 school system, and a community college, we introduced high school students to some of our region’s manufacturing careers.
April
FAFSA Sweepstakes
For this highly successful FAFSA promotion and completion campaign, we partnered with a community college, two K-12 school systems, and a statewide partner.
March
First #worklocal Campaign
For this collaborative endeavor in Buncombe County, we partnered with one of our region’s largest employers and a K-12 school system to enhance high school students’ interest in healthcare careers.
February
New Localized NC Workforce Credentials Directory
We developed a database of non-degree credentials that can be earned locally (or online), are valued by employers, and put those who earn them on a path to a sustainable-wage career.
We analyzed needs to increase FAFSA completions and assembled a booth kit for partners to borrow to aid in FAFSA promotion and completions.
October
FAFSA PACK
We received $1.4M from the U.S. Department of Labor to provide work-based learning and apprenticeship opportunities to historically marginalized individuals through our two community college partners.
September
WORC Grant – Project Collaborate
2022
We partnered with economic and workforce development organizations and a chamber of commerce to identify gaps and challenges in our region’s existing talent pipeline.
August
2022 State of Our Workforce Survey
We established five action teams to plan and execute palpable community impact strategies for our four strategic directions.
Initial Action Teams
Alongside two K-12 school systems and a non-profit, we were part of the Asheville-Buncombe County team that was one of 12 communities chosen in the nation for the Success Planning Community of Practice through Ed Redesign’s Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
June
Success Planning Community of Practice
We coordinated and released a video to feature our five schools systems’ Career & Technical Education departments to promote their integral link to our shared missions.
May
CTE Promotion
We awarded grants to four local organizations whose work aligns with our four strategic directions to increase educational attainment.
March
Inaugural AIM Grants
We continued our participation with 14 other LEACs across the state in a pilot program led by ncIMPACT & myFutureNC to work toward increasing attainment of credentials of value.
January
Year 2 of ncIMPACT Initiative
