Rebuilding roads and bridges for a brighter future: Blue Ridge Community College participates in Good Jobs WNC

The autumn leaves are starting to show along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Mountainous landscapes adorned with golden and maroon treetops that make up the backdrop of the parkway have become a treasured sight for millions of visitors every year. But this fall is especially special because the parkway is just 11 miles away from being fully reopened for the first time since before Hurricane Helene hit two years ago.

“Oh goodness, the Blue Ridge Parkway. I could see it from my house growing up,” said Hannah Hedrick. “It’s the most beautiful ride, and there’s nothing better than October up on the parkway. You can see forever.”

Hedrick didn’t know it at the time, but one day, the parkway and mountains that she and so many others grew up treasuring would need her help. There were an estimated 58 catastrophic landslides that impacted the parkway, which resulted in a closure of all 469 miles of the route, according to the National Park Service. As a structures engineer for civil engineering company, RK&K, Hedrick and her colleagues are playing an active role in rebuilding the infrastructure damaged by Helene, on the parkway and beyond.

“It’s that personal connection that ties to the engineering side,” said Hedrick. “These are real people. These bridges that we’re putting back, we hope they last 100 years. But because of the tragedy, you really just think about the people.”

Those jobs, like the engineering role that Hedrick has and others like it, are both highly coveted and needed in the region. While they were important before Helene, the storm exacerbated the need for engineers to rebuild infrastructure and other good jobs to stabilize and revitalize the economy.

“I think the reason that we have a bigger need is because we had people who were already hurting, and then they lost everything, or they lost their house, and they really need a good-paying job. They need something stable, and they need it now,” said Hedrick.

That’s one of the reasons why Blue Ridge Community College joined Good Jobs Western North Carolina (Good Jobs WNC), a coalition of locally led, regionally coordinated, and nationally connected organizations across 23 counties in N.C. The coalition is made up of 11 community colleges, employers, foundations, and partners around a shared goal of connecting 1,200 residents to good jobs over the next three years in high-demand sectors including healthcare, engineering, manufacturing, and other skilled trades.

Community colleges: Engines for recovery

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, N.C. was once again reminded of the critical role community colleges serve as anchors of both stability and growth in their regions. In addition to serving as lifelines for their communities immediately following the storm — providing food, water, and shelter — many of the first responders that showed up and rescued their neighbors in need were trained on community college campuses. 

The engineers and road crews that tended to the parkway and are rebuilding the infrastructure devastated by the storm are also made up of many local community college alumni, like Hedrick.

The restoration of the Blue Ridge Parkway is just one snapshot of the ongoing recovery happening in western North Carolina. With an estimated nearly $60 billion in needs from the damage, according to the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management, recovery will continue for years to come.

North Carolina’s community colleges have remained present and reliable in the recovery process since the moment the storm hit through the hard work that continues today.

“We’re reminded that recovery is not simply about building roads and bridges and homes, it’s about rebuilding opportunities for people, and I think that’s at the center of all of our work,” said Laura Leatherwood, president of Blue Ridge Community College. 

Strengthening the SEAM

Blue Ridge’s Good Jobs Vision is that every WNC resident who wants a good job in engineering and advanced manufacturing has a clear, supported, and affordable pathway to get there. 

Their focus is encapsulated in the name of their program: Strengthening Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing (SEAM) Talent Pipelines in Post-Helene Western North Carolina. The college hopes that SEAM will form durable connections between employers, education, workforce partners, and workers.

“We’re taking a different approach to our conversations with employers,” said Connie Wolfe, Blue Ridge’s executive vice president of programs. “Instead of starting with what the college offers, we’re asking employers to identify specific job needs and skills.”

The college chose engineering and advanced manufacturing because of the demonstrated need in their region. They used a data-informed planning process powered by the Good Jobs WNC Data Hub, a labor market tool that aligns employer demand with local training pipelines.

From robots to bridges

Hedrick’s passion for engineering started in elementary school. While that interest remained steady, she was unsure of the direction in engineering that she wanted to take once she graduated high school. Her parents encouraged her to check out the offerings at Blue Ridge Community College, their alma mater. 

After touring a robotics lab and seeing engineering in action, Hedrick decided to study mechatronics. 

“I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. I was like, ‘Yes, this is exactly what I want to do,’ and that is how I enrolled that day,” said Hedrick.

She earned an associate degree in mechatronics from Blue Ridge, and then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Western Carolina University and a master’s in mechanical engineering from NC State University.

Hedrick has been working in the engineering field for a little less than a decade, but she’s already worked in several different types of engineering roles including mechatronics and civil engineering. She credits Blue Ridge for giving her a strong foundation in engineering that’s enabled her to have many different good jobs in the field. 

“When you leave, you are so well prepared, the industries around here know Blue Ridge’s reputation. They know what kind of students they put out, and they’re going to hire you because they know that you were trained well,” said Hedrick. 

While Hedrick continues to grow in her career, she hopes to continue to positively impact those around her. That spirit, one of kindness and generosity, is one she has seen frequently in the recovery journey after Helene.

“There is a humanistic side to it because tragedy has a tendency to do that. It really brings out, hopefully, the best in people,” said Hedrick. “A lot of times as an engineer, there’s a lot of numbers. But in the grand scheme of things, I’m working for the public. I’m working to make somebody’s life better, and it doesn’t matter what I’m doing. That’s always been my goal.”

You can learn more about Blue Ridge’s expanding engineer offerings here.

You can learn more about Blue Ridge’s Good Jobs WNC program here.