NC East Alliance has been awarded a $15 million appropriation from the NC legislature to continue to develop the new STEM East “Industry In Schools” initiative as a public/private partnership with industry to support the development of a new K-14 teacher training system in NC East’s 29 county region. This funding is awarded for the 2023-2025 biennium. Twenty-nine (29) school systems and ten (10) community colleges have developed a “working alliance” with NC East that will reside at the intersection of education, economic development, and workforce development. Mark Hamblin, Chairman shared, “Our NC East Board and our entire NC East Leadership Team would like to thank our local legislators and education partners for their support as we launch this new initiative.”

“For three years, our Leadership Team has been envisioning how we could truly change the workforce environment in eastern North Carolina. Our education partners and industry partners stepped up alongside us and helped to build a solid foundation and we are all currently working towards that goal. With this announcement, and with the work of our local legislators and the Legislature as a whole, we can now step up this work exponentially. Clearly stated, our goal is to strengthen the talent pipeline by transforming the way rural America goes about developing, attracting, and retaining a local workforce. This seed is now being planted in our own backyard. These funds provided by the Legislature will help us get to our goal much faster and change the way the rest of the world looks at our talent pipeline. It is a very good day for Eastern North Carolina!” says Vann Rogerson, President/CEO.