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Buncombe County needs to be more aggressive at attracting good-paying jobs to our community. Although our unemployment rate has consistently been one the lowest of any metropolitan area in Noth Carolina, we continue to lag behind state and national averages in average wage per job. Mountain Area Workforce is a great resource and for statistics and there are some interesting reports at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce's website. At a recent talk by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman at NCSU's Emerging Issues Forum, the need for innovation and the importance of math & science education curricula so our nation can meet the global challenges we face was stressed: While I don't agree with everything he said, I think he's on point on the challenges before us. To listen to Friedman's talk, click here. To address these problems, our school systems are adopting targeted programs to reduce the number of students who are left behind. The city schools have started the AVID Program, Freshman Experience (FX), and SILSA (which is supported by the Gates Foundation) to make school more relevant and focus on at risk students. The county school system has begun the Buncombe County Middle College to provide a school setting for those not comfortable with traditional high schools. Both programs are producing good results --- and both of these programs were funded through appropriations from Buncombe County. A high school education alone no longer provides adequate opportunities for students to be financially independent. We all must work to improve our skills to be competitive. In the economic recession of the last few years, A-B Tech has seen a rapid increase in enrollment as people have gone back to school after they have lost their jobs. Buncombe County has increased our funding to help our community college serve these citizens. A-B Tech has expanded their nursing program as well as initiated new associate degree tracks to adapt to our changing economy. While increased funding to our public schools and A-B Tech is important to improve the skills of our people, money alone is not the answer. As our social structure has changed over the past several decades, the number of children and young adults without adequate support systems has dramatically increased. The increase in single parent families, out of wedlock births, and other social changes have made the environment for our teachers much more difficult. If a student is motivated and has a proper support network, they can accomplish almost anything --- and Buncombe County's non-profits play a pivotal role in developing adequate workforce skills for our young people.
These community-wide partnerships are just a few excellent examples of how government, the private sector, and nonprofits can work together to overcome the challenges ahead of us. And without each of these ingredients, all the money in the world will not solve the problems we face.
High-Tech Job Links Technology Commercialization Center at A-B Tech
Manufacturing Job Links Buncombe County has always beed strong in manufacturing. Although the industry has undergone some significant changes in the past few years, our manufacturing sector remains vibrant and are in need of skilled workers for high paying jobs. Some of those companies include:
For more information on ways to obtain the skills required to qualify for these high paying jobs, visit the website of the Manufacturing Institute's Dream It! Do It! program.
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