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.

North Carolina’s history is filled with big ideas and being the “first.” The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill became the first public university in the U.S. when its doors opened in 1795. The first flight, achieved by the Wright Brothers, took place in 1903 in the small fishing village of Kitty Hawk.

We at PKH believe this first-of-its-kind idea can transform higher education in North Carolina. Our name aims to honor the innovation that’s pervaded through North Carolina for centuries.

Much like how the Wright Brothers’ aircraft took flight in Kitty Hawk, our goal is to help the careers of North Carolina adult learners, the state’s public universities, and the employers that power its economy take off—together.