Timeline & Milestones

Timeline & Milestones

2021 – Formation

  • The New Hanover Community Endowment was created with proceeds from the $1.25 billion sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health.

2022 – Year 1: Exploratory Phase

  • The Wilmington Chamber began convening local healthcare employers to assess workforce challenges. At the same time, the University of North Carolina Wilmington and Cape Fear Community College started addressing training needs and retention issues.
  • An Intercity Visit to Fort Lauderdale, Florida coordinated by the Wilmington Chamber provided an opportunity to study successful healthcare workforce pipeline models in Broward County.
  • Early collaboration among UNCW, CFCC, New Hanover County Schools and local workforce partners helped establish the Chamber as a key convener in addressing the region’s healthcare talent needs.

2023 – Year 2: Building Phase

  • Formal partnerships and organizational structures are established among key collaborators.
  • The Wilmington Chamber launches the Southeastern Division of the North Carolina Healthcare Talent Alliance in partnership with the NC Chamber Foundation, the North Carolina Center on the Workforce for Health, AHEC and other stakeholders.
  • Cape Fear Community College soft-launches a free drop-in childcare center to support parenting students.
  • In December 2023, the New Hanover Community Endowment awards a $22 million grant to support the collaborative initiative.

2024 – Year 3: Development Phase

  • Investments begin in recruitment, equipment and program expansion.
  • Curriculum is developed in alignment with employer needs to ensure graduates are prepared for in-demand roles.
  • The first expanded cohorts are enrolled across participating training institutions.
  • Outreach efforts are launched to engage students, job seekers and career changers, with a focus on effectively reaching underserved communities.
  • Systems for tracking student outcomes and retention are implemented to measure impact and guide continuous improvement.

2025 – Year 4: Implementation Phase

  • Employer partnerships are expanded to support clinical placements and strengthen job pipelines.
  • The New Hanover Community Endowment rebrands as The Endowment.
  • Programs are evaluated and refined using real-time workforce data to ensure continued relevance and effectiveness.
  • Long-term commitments are formalized with employer partners to sustain the talent pipeline.
  • Program impact is shared publicly to maintain community engagement and build ongoing support.