Biltmore Edge
Biltmore, together with Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College and Buncombe County Schools, is “Educating a Generation of Employees” (EdGE) in our public school systems through job skills training and career development programming. Students receive classroom instruction at the 9th and 10th grade levels on interview skills, resume writing, business etiquette and protocols, and making a positive first impression. Having been well prepared by a series of speakers and special guests, students visit Biltmore to learn firsthand about the wide variety of career opportunities to which they have been introduced in the classroom. As a follow-up to the site visit, participants are invited in smaller groups to observe and assist Biltmore staff at different work locations across the estate through a hospitality summer program hosted each summer on the estate.
Job shadowing, internships, and apprenticeships are the next step for participants heading into the 11th and 12th grades. These students have the chance to interview for a range of different learning experiences on the estate, from culinary and horticulture to merchandising and hotel management opportunities. Students completing the Biltmore EdGE program as seniors not only leave high school with a diploma and solid work experience, they also venture forth with confidence in themselves and tools and resources that will serve them well in life and in their future career endeavors.
