Roundtable: Workforce training Lisa Chapman, President, Central Carolina Community College David Johnson, President, Johnston Community College Scott Ralls, President, Wake Technical Community College Thomas Stith, President, North Carolina Community College System

®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.

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.

Scott Ralls

President Wake Technical Community College

What major programs do you offer that reflect the needs of the local economy? The Raleigh metro region is one of the nation’s most dynamic technology economies and since we are our community’s college, you can see that reflected in our programs. We have six campuses, three training centers, and in terms of the number of people we serve, we are the largest college in North Carolina. We have one of the greatest breadths of information technology programs, we’re adding significant capabilities in biotechnology and life science with a new facility that will come online next fall. In fact, just last year, we acquired a seventh site that will be developed into a new technology campus with a focus on Industry 4.0, the internet of things, the area where industry, technology and infrastructure meet.

We opened a new center for building technologies this year for programs such as HVAC, electrical and building automation technology. We’re also one of the region’s leaders in training for healthcare professions, public safety and hospitality.

How do you see online education developing at the college level in a post-pandemic future? Previously, we had some courses online, some on-site and some hybrid, which is using the best elements and efficiencies of both. I think we’re moving toward a hybrid world, where a lot of the services we provide and aspects of instruction will move online but there will be a lot of things that won’t. We’re a tech college, so there’s a lot of hands-on lab work in our curriculum. That doesn’t work as well online. What is the purpose of NCWorks? The North Carolina Workforce Credentials program is designed to increase and raise awareness about highquality, nondegree credentials that are recognized by employers and help obtain high-wage jobs. We’re targeting those high-wage, high-demand jobs. North Carolina community colleges have offered short-term training programs for many years and, in recent years, citizens and employers have begun to recognize the value of short-term credentials. These credentials are a way to ensure that the employees being hired have the skills necessary to meet the workforce demands. We’ve found that 67% of jobs in North Carolina are projected to require a high-quality credential or postsecondary degree by 2030.

How are community college training programs evolving amid shifts in worker roles? We have very strong partnerships and collaborations with the private sector. We see the transforming roles of workers as an opportunity to grow our engagement in the private sector to ensure that our colleges are designing programs that meet the specific needs of the local industries. For example, one of our community colleges is working with a local biopharma company to produce 200 to 250 graduates within the next 24 months to fill jobs that are needed in the biopharma industry.

We’re seeing growth in the biopharma, life sciences, IT, industrial manufacturing, healthcare, construction and aircraft maintenance industries. Company relocations and expansions, with Apple being a recent example, will drive the acquisition and training of local talent.

Thomas Stith

President North Carolina Community College System