Since 1958, North Carolina’s customized staff training program has been tasked with boosting the state’s workforce. The program has come a long way since then by evolving to keep pace with the state’s changing economy, and its partnership with Wilmington-based tech startup Vantaca is proof of that, officials said.

Vantaca, a community association management software company, made waves last year with a billion-dollar valuation. The milestone made Vantaca the first startup since cloud banking software firm nCino to claim unicorn status in the Port City.

Long before reaching unicorn status, however, Vantaca partnered with the N.C. Community College System (NCCCS) to build an employee training program that has since evolved from its early days in 2021.

NCEdge, North Carolina’s customized workforce training program, is available at all 58 community colleges across 100 counties, and according to John Loyack, the vice president of economic development for NCCCS, the program is a major draw for companies looking to relocate or scale up.

“As economic developers … are out there trying to attract new industry into the state or helping existing businesses expand, they know when it comes to workforce, the No. 1 incentive that they have is the NCEdge customized training program,” Loyack said.

The program is available to companies in eligible industries, such as advanced manufacturing, information technology or air courier services, provided they meet a slate of other requirements. For example, companies must make a significant capital investment, deploy new technology and create new jobs.

Those are boxes that Vantaca has duly checked, though the training program has swiftly changed to keep pace with the company’s growth and priorities.

“When we entered our first customized workforce training program, we had 97 employees. We’re now at 335,” said Lisa Leath, chief people officer at Vantaca, in an email to the Business Journal. “The program hasn’t just kept pace with our growth – it’s been part of enabling it.”

Vantaca’s program, which takes place at Cape Fear Community College (CFCC), involves honing technical skills in AI problem-solving, security and product management, as well as leadership development.

According to Kimberly Schwab, CFCC’s director of customized training, the program started with customer service instruction but has quickly evolved.

AI upskilling is a particular focus in Vantaca’s workforce training program, as the company has since pivoted to an AI-first model. According to Leath, Vantaca has made advanced AI-prompting and data analytics courses accessible to the entire team, aiming to achieve “baseline fluency across the organization.”

“Every Vantaca employee, regardless of function, should be able to engage meaningfully with AI tools and understand how to apply them to their work,” Leath said.

According to Schwab, the program has progressed beyond teaching the basics of AI prompting, as AI strategy has reshaped the company’s operations. As the company’s needs changed, the program had to adapt by vetting new instructors and creating a new curriculum designed to meet the firm’s goals.

“The Vantaca project pretty much pushed the limit and has really, really shown us what our capabilities are,” said Schwab.

“If there was anybody to be a champion of successfully mastering and utilizing the project, it would be Vantaca,” Schwab said. “They’ve gone from 97 employees to 335, and then in (2025), they reached unicorn status. So, from a productivity standpoint, they’ve knocked it out of the park.”

“For us as a company, the most critical capability isn’t any single technique,” Leath said. “It’s developing people who can think critically about where AI creates genuine leverage versus where it creates noise.”

To support its growing workforce, Leath said that Vantaca also invests in industry-specific credentialing, like the M100 certification for community management, as well as professional development and AI certification programs.

“Half of our employees are based here, and as we continue to grow our team, we intend to keep Wilmington at the center of that,” Leath said.

The customized training programs typically run for three years and then are up for renewal, pending approval from NCCCS. Because NCEdge is funded through state dollars allocated to NCCCS, the training programs are delivered at no cost to participating companies.

According to its website, the program has generated over $443 million in economic impact over the past five years, and according to NCCCS’ annual report from 2024 to 2025, the NCEdge program supported 848 companies across the state, for over 30,000 people.

“This is a permanently funded program. That’s the other thing that kind of sets North Carolina apart,” Loyack said. “Everyone knows, regardless of where we land on a budget, this program is going to be funded.”

One of the program’s biggest partnerships has been with JetZero, a California-based aerospace startup, which announced a $4.7 billion investment in a production facility in Greensboro, with plans to create over 14,500 jobs, according to a NCCCS press release.

The training program with JetZero is valued at over $30 million, the press release said.

“Where we see the most activity is in our urban centers,” Loyack said. “But this is a huge opportunity for rural communities as well.

“We’ve got a lot of tricks up our sleeves, and we continue to adapt,” he added. “We just want more people to know about it.”