Changing Lives Asheville-Buncombe
Creating Jobs Technical Community College
Providing Hope
”Community coll system. They pr and they get litt efforts. For milli the gateway to
A-B Tech is About
Ability
Affordability • $56.50 per credit hour
Access-ability • Three sites in Buncombe and Madison Counties • Saturday Classes • 16-, 8-, and 4-week classes
A-B Tech has the largest enrollment of any institution of higher education in Western North Carolina.
• Online and Hybrid Classes
Transferability • Programs and courses that transfer to fouryear colleges and universities
Employability • Degrees that lead to good-paying jobs in fields with high demand
Approachability • Smaller classes with individualized attention
The ability to train our workforce • The workforce of Buncombe and Madison counties represents more than 1.5 million credit hours of A-B Tech training. • More than 80% of A-B Tech’s graduates stay in the region after leaving the College.
One in three residents of Buncombe and Madison counties has taken a class offered by A-B Tech.
leges are the unsung heroes of our education repare today’s workers for tomorrow’s careers, tle support and even less recognition for their ions of Americans, the local community college is the American Dream.”
– Melinda Gates
A-B Tech delivers
Skills
for today’s and tomorrow’s jobs • Close to 80 percent of firefighters, law enforcement officers, and EMTs are credentialed at community colleges. • 20 percent to 40 percent of the nation’s teachers began their education at community colleges. • 44 percent of students who receive baccalaureates or master’s degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields attended a community college at some point in their careers. • 52 percent of new nurses and the majority of other new health-care workers are educated at community colleges.
A-B Tech offers
Training
• In the past three years, Workforce Development and Customized Training served 122 companies.
• During that same period, more than $350,000 was spent on customized training.
A-B Tech is an
Investment in the community’s jobs
• The economy of Buncombe and Madison counties receives nearly $400 million in income each year due to the past and present efforts of A-B Tech. • A-B Tech students benefit from higher earnings, thereby expanding the tax base and reducing the burden on state and local taxpayers. In total, students generate more than $25 million annually in higher earnings due to their A-B Tech education. • Students enjoy an attractive 23% rate of return on their educational investment in A-B Tech recovering all costs (including wages foregone) in six years.
We need you to
Invest in us
1. What will my investment mean for our community? Jobs. A-B Tech will be able to expand existing programs in the health care field and add new ones. Your investment will also help us expand workforce development, modernize the local workforce, and attract new business and industries to the area that will provide good jobs for you and your children. 2. How much will it cost me? ¼ of 1 cent. If you buy a burger and a beer, that means an additional 2.5 cents. 3. Are residents of Buncombe County the only ones who will pay? No. The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce estimates one-third of the amount will come from visitor spending. 4. Why doesn’t A-B Tech use the money it receives from the NC Education Lottery? A-B Tech does not receive funding from the Education Lottery. 5. Why doesn’t the College raise tuition to cover its construction and renovation costs? A-B Tech does not have the authority to raise tuition. The North Carolina General Assembly sets the rate for all community colleges in the state. Colleges are not allowed to keep the tuition they collect. That money is forwarded to the State of North Carolina. Funds for instruction and staff are based upon a formula that the State applies to all community colleges. However, many classes conducted in the summer must be self-supporting. By definition, this means they must pay for themselves by covering all costs associated with them. The College is allowed to set a selfsupporting rate for those classes.
For more than 50 years, A-B Tech has been here when you needed us. With your help, we’ll continue to be here when you need us. Your investment will help A-B Tech meet infrastructure needs; it will not go to salaries or to offset reductions in operating funds. Our top construction priority is a health and workforce development building that will allow us to add new programs in the healthcare field, which typically pay higher salaries.
New Programs Under Consideration Pharmacology Tech Central Supply Technician Physical Therapy Assistant Occupational Technician Opthalmology Assistant Occupational Health and Safety Technician
g n i t s e v n i y b f l e s r u o y n i t s e Inv your community’s college. in
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Equal Opportunity Educational Institution
340 Victoria Road, Asheville, NC 28801 828-254-1921 | abtech.edu