CFCC Joins Nationwide Effort to Fill 1m Skilled Trades Jobs

September 2, 2026

A construction worker wearing a cap and safety glasses lies beneath exposed plumbing, reaching upward while using a power tool during installation work.

Wilmington, NC (September 1, 2026) – Cape Fear Community College is part of a nationwide initiative to help fill 1 million skilled trades jobs over the next decade.

The movement is driven by the Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition, a program launched today by the Lowe’s Foundation . As the largest cross-sector coalition of its kind in U.S. history, the organization aims to train and place 1 million workers in critical trades by 2035.

Last summer, CFCC received a $500,000 Lowe’s Gable Grant through the coalition. The funding enabled the college to launch eight new skilled trade courses in January 2026, including Plumbing at Pender Correctional Institution, Facility Maintenance at New Hanover Correctional Institution, and Construction Trades within CFCC’s Adult High School program. As of July, 100 students had enrolled in these new offerings.

Additionally, the grant provides materials for CFCC’s Live House Project , which gives students hands-on experience building residential homes from the ground up.

“This partnership with the Lowe’s Foundation allows us to directly tackle the growing demand for skilled trade professionals across the Cape Fear region,” said Jim Morton, CFCC President. “By expanding our course offerings and giving students hands-on experience through initiatives like the Live House Project, we are helping our students build rewarding careers while strengthening our local workforce and economy.”

These local efforts address a growing national crisis. The U.S. faces a severe labor shortage driven by retiring workers and expanding infrastructure investments. According to the U.S. Department of Education, up to 2.1 million skilled trades jobs could go unfilled by 2030.

In North Carolina, data from the NC Department of Commerce projects a demand for more than 16,000 plumbers and 50,000 maintenance and repair workers across the state by 2034.

Alongside its expanding apprenticeship programs, CFCC’s involvement in the coalition strengthens its commitment to building a qualified, local workforce to meet the Cape Fear region’s growing demands. To learn more about CFCC’s Workforce and Development division, visit https://cfcc.edu/continuing-education/
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