®
oundtable:
Workforce training Community college leaders provide their perspective on efforts to train tomorrow’s workforce.
Lisa Chapman
President Central Carolina Community College
How do your programs reflect the needs of the local economy? Some of the areas in which we are growing everyday include biotechnology, construction, industrial services and healthcare. Educational and career pathways that include alignment among our K-12 partners and our university partners are designed to address local and regional employer talent requirements. We meet with employers to make sure we’re meeting their needs through these designed pathways as well as through customized training that may be for a specific company that’s expanding or coming here. We’re committed to workforce training. We are a one-stop shop for anyone who is looking for a specific kind of training or education. How do you match students with a potential career? We make sure the students have a good understanding of what’s available when they come to us and what’s necessary and possible in order to get through their career with us and to wherever they want to go. When I get the chance to talk with our students face-to-face, I tell them about the investment this community is making in them— the students. North Carolina’s dual enrollment option is pathway-designed, which means students don’t waste their time taking courses that don’t count toward something. In our high schools, we have college employees who are career coaches and mentor students. Our community’s investment is this: if the students successfully complete the dual enrollment option during their high-school time, they’ll already have credits with us and will already be on the pathway and will have up to two years of tuition free based on the support of the counties. 148
| Invest: Raleigh-Durham 2021 | EDUCATION
David Johnson
President Johnston Community College
How has demand changed for your programs? All of our career pathways are in high demand. For fall, several classes are already full, including welding, machine technology and electronics. Those technical trades are in high demand because students know they can obtain high-paying jobs that will support them into the future. The trucking industry, for example, is demanding we produce more drivers because there is a tremendous national shortage. We offer the oldest Truck Driver Training program in the nation that offers an eight-week training course in trucking. In some cases, our graduates are making over $100,000 per year and it’s not unreasonable for graduates to start at $60,000 to $70,000 dollars. All our technical programs are thriving but so are our college transfer programs. We understand that not everyone who comes through the doors wants a technical education and some are interested in transferring to a four-year institution. The ultimate success of students is defined by the changes in the lives of graduates as a result of the education we have been able to provide. How is the college meeting the needs of the growing healthcare industry? One of the drivers of the county’s economy is the pharmaceutical industry, so we’ve designed programs that fit around that. One of those is called BioWork, which prepares future employees to work as process operators in manufacturing facilities for biological products. Students combine basic science, communication and manufacturing skills and practices. The pharmaceutical industry has helped us develop this curriculum.
