Posted on the WLOS-13 website on July 27, 2026.
Asheville, N.C. (WLOS) — More than $34 million in federal funding is headed to western North Carolina to support workforce development and long-term recovery from Helene.
The funding, announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), includes nearly $29 million for Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College to build its WNC Futures Factory project.
The $29 million grant will fund the construction of a 70,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing training facility planned near the Pratt & Whitney plant in Buncombe County. The facility is designed to prepare workers for higher-paying manufacturing jobs while helping small and mid-sized manufacturers access research, development and workforce training.
"We're going to provide a space where everybody can come together and really help our manufacturing firms," said Dr. John D. Gossett, president of A-B Tech.
Gossett said many manufacturers in western North Carolina lack their own research and development departments, and the new facility will help fill that gap.
"So many of the manufacturers in western North Carolina are small and medium-sized. They don't have research and development offices," Gossett said. "They have access now to universities who can do that research and development. We'll do the training once we get that figured out and help those employees get back to where they need to be."
According to A-B Tech, the project is expected to generate more than 2,500 jobs across western North Carolina and more than 3,000 jobs statewide. The college also expects to train more than 800 people each year.
Congressman Chuck Edwards said the investment comes at a crucial time.
"All of the folks in western North Carolina have an extreme amount of talent. They just need the opportunities," Edwards said. "One of the biggest things that employers are looking for now is workforce."
A-B Tech officials say construction has not yet begun, but once work starts, the project is expected to take about two years to complete.
In addition to the A-B Tech project, several other communities and organizations received federal funding through the Department of Commerce and EDA.
