North Carolina’s goal is to have 2 million residents in the state with a degree or high-quality credential by 2030. However, projections call for there to be a 400,000-resident gap. Therefore, North Carolina and the UNC System had to think creatively about how it would reach its educational goal. The adult learner market is often overlooked in traditional higher education, and the state legislature/UNC System decided on creating a separate organization—PKH—that would focus solely on bringing more adult learners into the UNC System.
This strategy will yield long-term results for the state by keeping the North Carolina talent pipeline stocked for years to come.