Shortly after Hurricane Helene, Haywood Community College, Southwestern Community College and nine of their Western North Carolina counterparts got together to consider the unique needs of the region, eventually settling on the necessity to route students toward solid, sustainable employment.
Aptly titled the Good Jobs Western North Carolina Program, the initiative funds one of three focus sectors at partner institutions: healthcare, skilled trades or advanced manufacturing. According to President Shelley White, HCC chose skilled trades, investing in relevant equipment, facility improvements and expansion. SCC, with campuses in Swain, Jackson and Macon counties, opted for two employment areas: a healthcare-aligned evening Licensed Professional Nursing program and a skilled trades-aligned HVAC daytime program.
“Supported by a Good Jobs WNC grant, SCC will enroll an initial cohort of 10 [LPN] students in Year 1 and expand to full capacity with 20 students per cohort by Year 2,” wrote Dean of Workforce Continuing Education Scott Sutton in an email to The Smoky Mountain News.
“For the HVAC program expansion, a shortened certificate program teaches essential foundational competencies, providing a rapid pipeline for matriculating skilled workers into the local economy,” he continued.
New and expanded curricula at both colleges reflect a statewide push toward practical, craft-based learning for the sake of future employment.
Three years ago, the North Carolina Community College System thought up a new funding model known as Propel N.C., which prioritizes certain high-demand sectors, such as those outlined by the WNC program. Implemented by the General Assembly this biennial budget cycle, the model augments appropriations to state community colleges by varying percentages. HCC, for example, saw a 5.31% increase in instructional funding, while SCC was funded an additional 8.20%.
According to SCC President Don Tomas, with these extra funds, the college can ensure curriculum flexibility and alignment with market trends, expand high-demand trades like automotive technology and welding, bolster healthcare industry careers such as EMS and Health Information Technology and finance equipment and infrastructure upgrades for hands-on training.
Also included in the General Assembly budget was $4.4 million in net funding for the state’s U.S. Department of Labor-denominated program, ApprenticeshipNC, with an additional $3.17 million in recurring appropriations.
According to White, this year’s funding was a necessary step in the right direction — especially for smaller community colleges. HCC during the 2024-2025 academic year enrolled 613 full-time and 1,561 part-time students. Its May 2026 recommended operating budget was a slim $3.8 million.
“In the past, we have not had a level of funding that will help support programs that are higher cost. So, we would typically see how in balancing a budget, for example, many of your lower cost programs that maybe have many more students help to offset the cost of operating a higher cost program,” she said. “But then at the end of the day, you’re really operating on a shoestring.”
The Propel NC funding plan, said White, will strengthen support for high-demand careers like nursing that HCC hasn’t addressed through the Good Jobs model.
But the state hasn’t been so generous to other academic initiatives, especially when related to diversity, equity and inclusion, which is often targeted by legislators. Student Success Initiative, previously called the Minority Male Success Initiative, was one such effort. SCC didn’t offer the program, but HCC most recently received about $40,000 in appropriations.
White said when the college received word MMSI would likely be defunded, “we made efforts internally to shift staffing and the approach.”
“For us, it was a matter of incorporating those student support-focused efforts into our programming and across our services for all students,” she noted, emphasizing HCC’s unique adaptations.
However, when it comes to federal funding, all community colleges might face a loss. This is especially true for both Career and Technical Education (Perkins V) and Adult Education and Family Literacy Act programs, which help participants cultivate skills necessary for employment. Each is set to be cut from the president’s 2027 budget, though CTE will continue at K-12 institutions.
Regardless of proposed changes, White said Perkins V funding has been trending down because of a decreasing formula. HCC in 2025-2026 received $95,394 for CTE plus $8,620 in carryover funding; SCC, $165,946 plus $14,995 in carryover funding. For the 2026-2027 cycle, Haywood’s allotment is $102,987; Southwestern’s is $140,553.
Though according to White, HCC won’t be devastated by the loss of federal CTE dollars if state funding continues at historic levels.
In the past, Perkins V has invested in programmatic support, professional development for instructors and technology equipment at HCC.
“We don’t want to see it go away, but I don’t anticipate that we’re losing programs or positions because of it. It’s just we may lose some of the additional supports that we get, the equipment funding,” White said.
The primary AEFLA deliverer in any given county is the community college system, via adult GED programs, basic literacy skills and English as Second Language curriculum. Still, White noted, if AEFLA federal funding ceased, notwithstanding state-level changes, “we would anticipate continuing offering those services as we’re able to.” Her response hinted at an underlying uncertainty: The General Assembly currently must match existing federal appropriations — will it continue to do so without this requirement?
The president’s budget has also eliminated funding for TRIO and GEAR UP, two comprehensive programs that, according to Sutton, “help students prepare for and succeed in higher education, particularly students who are first-generation or come from families with limited financial resources.”
SCC’s Executive Vice President of Instruction and Student Services Barbara Putnam said as a result, the administration is closely observing the unfolding federal budget process. “The White House budget is a proposal, and Congress will ultimately determine funding levels through the appropriations process, so there is still a great deal we do not know,” she added.
“If significant reductions were ultimately made to programs such as AEFLA, Perkins/CTE, GEAR UP, or TRIO, there would certainly be an impact. These federal funds help SCC provide services and opportunities that are especially important in rural communities like ours,” Putnam noted, adding that it’s crucial to resist speculation.
In June, the House Appropriations Committee advanced a bipartisan bill increasing TRIO appropriations by $6 million and strengthening protections for the program.
While Propel N.C. devoted a record-breaking $57.7 million in appropriations to community colleges, it failed to meet NCCCS’ $68.5 million funding request by somewhat substantial margins.
White, calling the model an “early win”, said she’d like to continue to advocate for the full allotment.
“Our Presidents’ Association, we’re collaborating around, ‘What is that what’s the next ask?’ or ‘What’s the message for us in the coming legislative cycle?’… our biggest challenge ahead of us is to continue telling that story and to just keep pushing for support around, for example, our teacher salaries at community colleges. it’s still not where it needs to be,” she said.
That makes it tough for the college to keep certain positions filled, especially those requiring specialized skills. Private industry or even government might offer a far more competitive salary.
But in all, things are looking bright in HCC’s future. The college will soon open its new workforce outdoor training facility, which will house the truck driver program.
“It took a lot of planning” to even reach the groundbreaking, White recounted. And the ribbon cutting will be on Sept. 1, a little over one year later.
SCC is expanding its offerings as well. This fall, the college will begin its first nine-week Commercial Driver’s License Class A-Truck Driver School in partnership with Caldwell Community College. Certificate programs have been added in Artificial Intelligence and welding. A new dental hygiene program will be introduced in fall 2027.
As for enrollment, HCC has seen a 3% increase in its student population for the fall, with numbers unparalleled by any academic year since 2020-2021.
“I’m excited because we’ve been through a lot as a community and as an institution, and it’s just great to see that momentum,” White said.