North Carolina is not treating degree apprenticeships as a separate program to bolt onto its workforce system. It is embedding college credit directly into Registered Apprenticeship, connecting education, employers, and workforce development around a shared pathway.
For employers facing persistent talent shortages, that design matters. It gives people a way to earn a wage, build relevant experience, and make measurable progress toward a credential or degree without leaving their community.
North Carolina's approach is a useful case study for employers, colleges, and state leaders considering how degree apprenticeships can move from a promising idea to a durable talent strategy.
North Carolina's degree-apprenticeship model at a glance
- One connected system: ApprenticeshipNC is housed in the North Carolina Community College System, bringing apprenticeship and postsecondary education closer together.
- Three priority sectors: Healthcare, education, and advanced manufacturing are central to the state's workforce strategy.
- College credit for work-based learning: Eligible Associate of Applied Science programs can award up to 16 semester credit hours for aligned Registered Apprenticeship learning.
- A focus on durable growth: Recurring state investment, employer partnerships, and outcomes tracking support ongoing expansion.
What are degree apprenticeships?
Degree apprenticeships combine paid, structured work experience with college-level learning that leads to academic credit and, in some cases, a degree. Rather than asking learners to choose between a job and further education, the model connects the two.
The details vary by state and employer. The common goal is to make on-the-job learning count toward a recognized credential while employers help shape the skills learners develop.
North Carolina has made a defining choice: it does not operate a separate degree-apprenticeship track. Instead, it embeds associate and bachelor's degrees in Registered Apprenticeship program design through ApprenticeshipNC, which is housed in the North Carolina Community College System.
That structural choice puts academic credit closer to the work itself.
Why North Carolina connected apprenticeship to its community college system
North Carolina faces workforce pressures familiar to many states, including shortages in healthcare and teaching, as well as the need to retain talent in local communities. Its priority sectors include healthcare, education, and advanced manufacturing.
In 2017, HB 646 moved ApprenticeshipNC from the Department of Commerce into the community college system. The change aligned apprenticeship more closely with degree offerings and curriculum development.
The National Governors Association case study makes the practical benefit clear: when apprenticeship and higher education are structurally aligned, competencies, curriculum, and employer needs can be developed together from the start.
That alignment is also reflected in program design. North Carolina community colleges can award up to 16 semester credit hours for work-based learning in Associate of Applied Science programs that align with a Registered Apprenticeship. Duke Energy is one example of an employer that has worked with community colleges to co-design a pathway.
The state is also planning statewide articulation agreements to help apprentices continue beyond a two-year degree. That work is still in development, which is an important distinction. Building a pathway is not the same as declaring it complete.
How North Carolina keeps employers involved in program design
Degree apprenticeships only work when the learning maps to real jobs. North Carolina's model keeps employers close to the design process through community-college advisory boards, one-on-one meetings between superintendents and top employers, and local workforce boards.
For employers, that partnership model creates three practical advantages:
- Training reflects the work. Employers can help identify the competencies learners need on the job.
- Education stays connected to advancement. Work-based learning can contribute to recognized academic progress rather than stand apart from it.
- Regional partners share the lift. Colleges, workforce boards, and employers can coordinate around local needs instead of designing every pathway in isolation.
Two regional efforts show how that can work in practice:
- Good Jobs Western NC launched after Hurricane Helene and coordinates all 11 western North Carolina community colleges with employers and philanthropic partners around regional training needs.
- AdvanceNC, led by Central Carolina Community College, worked with manufacturers to develop an entry-level advanced manufacturing program that is intended to articulate into a two-year degree.
There is a real trade-off here. Some employers need short, in-house training and may not initially see a degree as part of the solution. The case study argues that programs have to meet immediate workforce needs while keeping degree completion at the center of the longer-term pathway.
That is a useful test for any employer-led program: does the pathway solve today's hiring problem while giving participants a reason to stay and grow tomorrow?
Funding and data are what make degree apprenticeships durable
Program design is only one part of the system. North Carolina's most recent budget includes $3 million in recurring state funding for ApprenticeshipNC, alongside direct employer and philanthropic grants to colleges.
The state also uses targeted supports to reduce barriers for learners. High school students who begin a Registered Apprenticeship within 120 days of graduation can receive a community college tuition waiver. They are also connected to NCWorks Career Centers for WIOA-funded equipment and supplies.
North Carolina is still building its outcomes infrastructure, including a public dashboard, a CRM for longitudinal tracking, credentialing test outcomes, and high-school-to-completion data for tuition-waiver students. That investment matters because programs need to show more than enrollment.
The case study cites ApprenticeshipNC evaluations showing that degree-apprenticeship training from 2001 to 2020 had stronger short- and long-term wage-growth trajectories than Registered Apprenticeship alone. The finding does not prove that the program caused every outcome, but it points to why connecting work experience with postsecondary progress is worth measuring.
As of ApprenticeshipNC's 2026 Q1 data, the system reported 16 occupational training groups with associate-degree apprentices. It also reported 3,234 employer partners and 10,341 apprentices served across all apprenticeship programs, not degree apprenticeships alone.
Four lessons for leaders building degree apprenticeship pathways
North Carolina's case study offers four practical takeaways for leaders who want to build a degree-apprenticeship strategy.
- Create clear governance and shared accountability. North Carolina's Governor's Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships, established in March 2025, set 11 goals and 30 strategies for expanding apprenticeship. A defined structure helps the work survive beyond individual champions.
- Connect apprenticeship and higher education at the operating level. Credit, curriculum, and job competencies are easier to align when the relevant teams work through the same system.
- Plan for recurring funding. Braided federal and philanthropic funding can get programs off the ground. Recurring state appropriations create a more durable base for expansion.
- Build employer partnerships regionally. Advisory boards and regional coalitions make it easier to respond to local labor-market needs without asking every employer to solve the problem alone.
What this can mean for your organization
At Craft Education, we see degree apprenticeships as an opportunity to build talent pathways that work for both employers and learners. The North Carolina example shows the value of connecting job design, work-based learning, academic progress, and long-term accountability from the beginning.
For an employer, the starting point is not a generic program template. It is a clear look at the roles you need to fill, the skills those roles require, the credentials that add value, and the partners who can help bring the pathway to life.
Want the operating model behind North Carolina's statewide approach? Download case study for its governance, funding, employer-engagement, and implementation lessons.
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