Manufacturing Open House scheduled for April 9 at BCCC | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    The latest in equipment and training for careers in advanced manufacturing will be on display at Beaufort County Community College Tuesday, April 9, as part of Advanced Manufacturing Career Day.

    Area middle and high school students have been invited to attend an Open House scheduled that day from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to learn about careers and training in electrical, mechanical and welding industries. A second Open House, for students and their parents, is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. in Building 4 on the BCCC campus. The public is invited to attend either Open House.

    The event will give attendees the chance to learn about programs offering technical certificates, diplomas, and degrees, as well as educational pathways linking high schools, community colleges, and universities with the world of work, according to BCCC President Barbara Tansey.

    "With shifts in the labor market and a greater emphasis on technical degrees, BCCC is collaborating with local manufacturers across the region to present this event," Tansey said. "I hope that prospective students and others interested in the new world of manufacturing will take the opportunity to learn how BCCC can prepare them for some of the emerging careers in manufacturing."

    Programs at BCCC are being updated to prepare students for these emerging careers thanks to a Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant from the U.S.
Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. The grant was awarded to 10 community colleges that formed the North Carolina Advanced Manufacturing Alliance.

    As a member of that alliance, BCCC was awarded $2.2 million over a three-year period that includes funding for equipment to upgrade its electrical, machining and welding programs, among others, to meet industry needs.

    According to N.C. Employment Security Commission job projection data developed in 2006, manufacturing jobs in chemical, computer and electronics, food, metal and transportation equipment products are forecast to make gains annually through 2016.

    For more information about Advanced Manufacturing Career Day at BCCC, interested persons may contact Darwin Richards, project coordinator for the N.C. Advanced Manufacturing Alliance, at (252) 940-6239 or by email at darwinr@beaufortccc.edu or Ben Morris, chairman of Business and Industrial Technology, at (252) 940-6374 or by email at benm@beaufortccc.edu.

    Beaufort County Community College is a public comprehensive community college committed to accessible and affordable quality education, effective teaching, relevant training, and lifelong learning opportunities for the people served by the College.