AMY Wellness Foundation is proud to support Mayland Community College’s participation in Good Jobs Western North Carolina, a regional initiative creating stronger connections between education, workforce training, and family-sustaining employment.
Good Jobs WNC brings together all 11 community colleges serving Western North Carolina’s 23-county region, along with employers, philanthropic organizations, workforce leaders, and government partners. The initiative aims to connect 1,200 residents with high-quality jobs in healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and the skilled trades over three years while building a more coordinated regional workforce system for the future.
AMY Wellness Foundation is one of the philanthropic partners supporting the Good Jobs Program Fund, which provides direct investments to community colleges to expand, redesign, or develop employer-informed training programs. Through this collective effort, Mayland Community College will receive a $300,000 investment to expand its Associate Degree Nursing program and prepare more registered nurses to serve Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties.
“At AMY Wellness Foundation, we believe that strong communities are built on access to opportunity. Our support of the Good Jobs WNC initiative reflects our commitment to strengthening the connection between education and meaningful employment across our region. By investing in Mayland Community College and our broader community college system, we are helping create pathways for residents to access high-quality, family-sustaining jobs while meeting the workforce needs of local employers. This initiative is not just about job placement. It’s about building a more resilient, coordinated, and future-ready regional economy.”
— Luke Howe, Executive Director, AMY Wellness Foundation
Support from North Carolina’s Governor
Good Jobs WNC has also received strong support from North Carolina Governor Josh Stein. In an April 2026 letter, Gov. Stein described the initiative as “a national model for how a region comes together to create real pathways to good jobs and long-term economic renewal.”
The governor included a proposed $600,000 appropriation for Good Jobs WNC in his budget request. If approved by the North Carolina General Assembly, the funding would support employer engagement and other costs associated with the regional initiative.
Gov. Stein emphasized that Good Jobs WNC can help Western North Carolina recover from Hurricane Helene while creating stronger, longer-lasting connections among community colleges, employers, workforce organizations, philanthropic partners, and state and local leaders.
“Good Jobs WNC will help create an economy that better connects people to opportunity, strengthens our communities, and ensures our employers find the talent they need to grow,” Gov. Stein wrote in his letter of support.
Expanding a Proven Nursing Program
Healthcare providers throughout Mayland’s three-county service area are experiencing a growing need for registered nurses. Expansion at Blue Ridge Regional Hospital, growth at Mountain Community Health Partnership, and a new AdventHealth facility are expected to increase that demand. At the same time, Hurricane Helene displaced workers and further disrupted the region’s healthcare workforce.
Mayland’s nursing program already has a strong record of success, including a 94% job-placement rate and a 100% first-time passage rate on the NCLEX-RN licensing examination. The primary challenge is capacity: the program currently produces approximately 17 to 20 graduates annually.
Good Jobs WNC funding will help Mayland expand this successful program by adding a dedicated nursing instructor and a clinical coordinator. The college will also strengthen academic advising for nursing students, provide targeted licensing-exam preparation, and review course sequencing to address barriers that can delay or prevent students from completing the program.
Mayland will work closely with Blue Ridge Regional Hospital and Mountain Community Health Partnership to ensure that instruction reflects local workforce needs. The college will also expand dual-enrollment opportunities and develop healthcare career maps for students in grades 9–12, creating earlier and more visible pathways into nursing careers.
Anticipated Outcomes
Over the two-year program period, Mayland Community College expects to:
- Place 57 participants in healthcare jobs paying at least $30.86 per hour.
- Increase annual registered-nursing completions to 25 in the first year and 30 in the second year—a 50% increase over current levels.
- Increase retention and graduation rates in the Associate Degree Nursing program by 25%.
- Expand advising, exam preparation, and other supports that help nursing students complete their education and enter the workforce.
- Strengthen partnerships between Mayland and local healthcare employers.
By supporting Mayland Community College and the broader Good Jobs WNC partnership, AMY Wellness Foundation is investing in local residents, stronger healthcare services, and the long-term economic resilience of Western North Carolina.
More information about the regional initiative is available through EducationNC and America Achieves.