By 2030, we will need 82,000 workers with the credentials and skills to fill workforce demands in our four-county region of Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania.
The P20 Council realizes that the ability to make significant gains in the targeted educational and workforce attainment efforts must include an equity lens in which diversity, inclusion, and accessibility to all resources must be a major component of each strategic goal.
Our work is guided by four strategic directions:
1
Enhance Pre-K and Early Childhood Education programs’ enrollment.
2
Improve student success rates in K-12 education.
3
Improve postsecondary success.
4
Align educational objectives and outcomes to desired employee competencies.
Our four strategic goals are:
How did we calculate our educational attainment goal?
Using updated calculations for postsecondary attainment and population trends, Carolina Demography determined the projected number of credentialed individuals each county would need to contribute to meet this goal. They estimated that the four counties within the Land of Sky region will need to contribute about 82,000 individuals with a postsecondary credential or degree in 2030.
The Land of Sky P20 Council strives to “close the gap” between what is predicted and what is needed. In other words, our overall goal is to steer our region toward producing the 10,000 credentialed and employed individuals that bridge the current trajectory of 72,000 and the needed workforce of 82,000. This overall goal of 82,000 will be the Land of Sky region’s “slice” of myFutureNC’s overall state goal of 2 million North Carolinians with a postsecondary credential or degree by the year 2030.
THERE IS A DEFICIT OF 10,000 INDIVIDUALS NEEDED BY 2030
P2o Strategy
Initiatives
Implement initiatives that lead to educational attainment and gainful employment based on networking opportunities identified utilizing the inventory of local and national resources/asset mapping.
Best Practices
Implement “Best Practices” and strategies as identified by workgroups that will facilitate connecting the dots along the attainment “pipeline.”
Policy
Establish policy recommendations to assist stakeholders at various points along the attainment “pipeline” to align strategies from Pre-K to gainful employment.
Impact Model
Develop a collective impact model of educational attainment that leads to gainful employment that is sustainable beyond 2030, is financially secure, and has an established governing structure.
The Educational Attainment Collaborative Ecosystem
The Educational Attainment Collaborative Ecosystem shows the key stakeholders that are critical to reaching our goal.
Many factors, including internal, external, and policies plus initiatives like funding and technology, impact educational attainment and the ability for students to find gainful employment.
Working together, advocacy groups, educational institutions, workforce development councils, economic developers, city and county governments, and employers that need individuals with various credentials can help students get the education and skills they need for everyone to thrive.
The Assets Map
Our assets are entities, organizations, and initiatives that lead to a long-term, sustainable approach to align credentials and degrees to the needs of local employers.
The Assets Map assists with guiding our region’s work and creating a baseline of best practices that would lead to developing strategies for the strategic plan.
Dashboard
Data-driven to measure our progress forward.
To track North Carolina’s goal of reaching 2M employees with high-quality credentials or post-secondary degrees by 2030, myFutureNC measures the state’s progress. It helps determine if the state is on target in attaining its goal or adjustments are needed along the way.
Countdown To Reach Our Educational Attainment Goal
Day(s)
:
Hour(s)
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Minute(s)
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Second(s)
Opportunity Youth
Opportunity Youth in LOS
Opportunity Youth 2021 vs 2022
Family-sustaining Wage
Family-sustaining Wages in LOS
Dropout Rates
Dropout Rates in LOS
CTE Credentials
Industry-Valued CTE Credentials
Educational Attainment – Buncombe
Degree or Credential – Buncombe
Educational Attainment – Henderson
Degree or Credential – Henderson
Educational Attainment – Madison
Degree or Credential – Madison
Educational Attainment – Transylvania
Degree or Credential – Transylvania
Educational Attainment – Less than High School
Educational Attainment – Less than High School – LOS Region
Educational Attainment – High School
Educational Attainment – High School – LOS Region
Educational Attainment – Some College No Credential
Educational Attainment – Some College – LOS Region
Educational Attainment – Short-term Credential – LOS Region
Educational Attainment – Associate Degree
Educational Attainment – Associate – LOS Region
Educational Attainment – Bachelor’s Degree
Educational Attainment – Bachelor – LOS Region
Educational Attainment – Graduate Degrees
Educational Attainment – Graduate or Professional- LOS Region
Child Poverty Rates
Child Poverty – LOS Region
Households with Broadband Trends
Households with Broadband – LOS Region
Median Household Income
Career and College Promise Participation
CCP Participation – LOS Region
AP Course Rates
AP Courses – LOS Region
Credentials in Ashevile Prosperity Zone
Educational Attainment for Ages 25-44
Educational Attainment – Any Degree – LOS Region
Adult Learners – Basic Skills
Adult Learners – Con Ed
Adult Learners – Curriculum
Progress on MFNC Top Opportunitites for Growth – Buncombe
Progress on MFNC Top Opportunity for Growth – Henderson County
Progress on MFNC Top Opportunities for Growth – Madison County
Progress on MFNC Top Opportunities for Growth – Transylvania County
Student Loan Debt
Student Loans in Default
NC Pre-K Enrollment Trends
4-year Graduation Trends
FAFSA Completion Trends
Attendance Trends
Chronic Absenteeism – LOS Region
Grades 3-8 Readiness in Reading Trends
Grades 3-8 Readiness in Reading – LOS Region
Grades 3-8 Readiness in Math Trends
Grades 3-8 Readiness in Math – LOS Region
Postsecondary Enrollment Trends
Postsecondary Persistence Trends
Postsecondary Persistence – LOS Region
6-year Degree Attainment Trends
CTE Concentration Trends
Postsecondary Intention Trends
Postsecondary Intentions – LOS Region
Parents with No College Degree Trends
First-Generation College Students – LOS Region
2024 Educational Attainment – County vs State
2024 Child Poverty Rates – County vs State
2022 Opportunity Youth
2024 Households with Broadband – County vs State
2024 Median Household Income – County vs State
2024 Population Growth Rates – County vs State
2024 Home Owners – County vs State
NC Pre-K Enrollment Progress
NC Pre-K Enrollment – 2030 Goal Progress – LOS Region
4-year Graduation Rate Progress
4-Year Graduation Rate – 2030 Goal Progress – LOS Region
FAFSA Completion Rate Progress
FAFSA Completion – 2030 Goal Progress – LOS Region
Attendance Rate Progress
Grades 3-8 Readiness in Reading Progress
Grades 3-8 Readiness in Math Progress
Postsecondary Enrollment within 12 Mos Progress
Postsecondary Enrollment – 2030 Goal Progress – LOS Region
Postsecondary Persistence to 2nd Year Progress
6-year Degree Attainment Progress
6-year Attainment – 2030 Goal Progress – LOS Region
Labor Market Alignment Progress
Labor Market Alignment – 2030 Goal Progress – LOS Region
Educational Attainment Goals Progress – County and Region
Progress Towards 2030 Goals as of 2024 – Buncombe and Henderson
Progress Towards 2030 Goals as of 2024 – Madison and Transylvania
County Data and Resources
myFutureNC and Carolina Demography collaborated to create the myFutureNC Attainment Dashboard to help local communities develop action plans driven by data. This tool features profiles for every North Carolina county that highlights county-level education attainment and performance on key myFutureNC education and workforce metrics. This data helps with decision-making to increase educational attainment in our four counties: Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania.
