Dive Brief:
- Alamance Community College in Graham, NC, celebrated the opening of a new tech center this week, according to the Triad Business Journal. Work began on the new $16 million facility in 2008, and in 2014, county commissioners approved the new facility, which will offer training for approximately 100 students each year.
- Alamance Community College President Algie Gatewood said the new facility will help retain industry in the area by closing the skills gap between students and what local employers are requiring in their workforce.
- The college hopes to train students in a variety of useful skills, including welding, machining and automotive systems.
Dive Insight:
As Amazon's search for a city in which it can locate its second headquarters has highlighted, it is beneficial to the economy of a city and state to have thriving skills-based programs in their colleges and universities. Companies will feel more confident basing their operations in the area if they know the workforce of college graduates in the community is likely to be equipped with the skills they need. For example, many attribute Pittsburgh's recent boom of tech businesses to the presence of several colleges and universities with renowned tech programs, courses and graduates. Institutions should strive to push for more funding for public and private sources by highlighting the importance of maintaining the importance of these programs in continuing to attract business. Lawmakers may be reticent to see the long-term benefits of funding an educated workforce, but will likely better understand the immediate benefits of industries moving to their area.
Facilities like the new one at Alamance Community College can also be beneficial in terms of attracting students, who are increasingly evaluating their enrollment decisions based on the likelihood they will obtain a well-paying job upon completion. Students are less likely to be most attracted to schools with extravagant amenities like they were in the past, but are instead seeking good educational services at a lower cost. A tech facility which can offer education in marketable skills could be the kind of amenity that students are gravitating towards, especially with the possibility that it could lead to a good chance of attaining work in a high-paying field in the area post-graduation. These are the kind of investments that could pay dividends for schools in terms of boosts in enrollment.