The North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) announced on Feb. 5 an accelerated college to career program designed to train the workforce.

NC Community Colleges Boost will quickly move students into the high-wage, high-demand careers that will drive the state’s future prosperity.

Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy that supports research into America’s most pressing problems–and evidence-based solutions to address them, is funding this launch with a grant of more than $35.6 million, the largest private grant ever received by NCCCS.

Modeled after the City University of New York’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (CUNY ASAP), the Boost program has already proven successful in other states, where it has doubled graduation rates and reduced the time to degree completion.

This program works through a combination of timely and relevant supports, dedicated advising for students, and incentives to accelerate their education.

“The City University of New York’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (CUNY ASAP) model is the gold standard for increasing completion in higher education,” NCCCS President Jeff Cox said at a press conference.He added that the model is aligned to North Carolina’s workforce development goals to “ensure the maximum benefit for our students and our state.”

The program will target high-growth fields, including biotechnology, engineering and advanced manufacturing, health care, and information technology, according to an EdNC article.

“Since the inception of CUNY ASAP in 2007, independent studies have repeatedly confirmed the efficacy of its comprehensive support model as well as its cost-effectiveness and high return on taxpayer investment. ASAP is directly responsible for doubling graduation rates for participating students,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez.

He expects it will be a “game changer for students in the North Carolina Community College System, as it has been for more than 100,000 CUNY students and for students at dozens of colleges across the country.”

Launching over the next two years with technical assistance from CUNY ASAP National Replication Collaborative, NC Community Colleges Boost will serve students at eight colleges across the state in 2025 and seven more in 2026. Among them are the following American Association of Community Colleges member institutions:

Alamance, Bladen, Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, Central Carolina, Central Piedmont, Forsyth Tech, Isothermal, Johnston, McDowell Technical, Sampson, Wake Technical and Western Piedmont community colleges and Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute.

“Being part of this transformative program is an incredible opportunity for Forsyth Tech and our students,” Forsyth Tech President Janet N. Spriggs said in a press release. “Through the Boost program, we will provide our students with the support and resources they need to succeed in completing their degrees faster, with minimal barriers, and gain the skills necessary for high-demand careers that will help drive North Carolina’s economy forward.”

This program is a partnership between the state, NCCCS, colleges, and students that invests in students so that they can get good jobs that help their communities. The North Carolina Community Colleges Foundation will be the NCCCS partner in managing the grant program.

“This program has increased graduation rates, reduced time to graduation, and lowered the cost per graduate across many individual colleges in several states,” said Cox. “Here in North Carolina, we have every reason to expect similar results. What makes this especially exciting is the opportunity to demonstrate success through our pilot and then scale it statewide—something few other states have done.”