Wayne Community College and Southern Wayne High School (SWHS) celebrated their new shared welding space at a ceremony attended by local elected officials, educators, and students.
Through this new partnership, WCC and Wayne County Public Schools (WCPS) will both offer courses in the new workforce training area at SWHS, which includes dedicated welding instruction space.
Short-term welding training through WCC’s Workforce Continuing Education Services will be offered at night and on weekends at SWHS to serve adult learners. WCPS students will utilize the space during school hours.
The courses will provide hands-on instruction for welding, equipment repair, and safety training, producing more trained workers to fill jobs in the area.
At the ceremony held to celebrate the lab’s opening, WCC President Patty Pfeiffer said the space will help WCC meet the workforce training needs in the southern end of Wayne County.
“We’re grateful to be a part of this project and to be a catalyst for change in our community,” Pfeiffer said. “It is a vision to help our students have industry credentials, to have an opportunity to have life-sustainable wages and family-supporting wages.”
The project was made possible through $225,000 in funding from the Golden LEAF Foundation.
“Golden LEAF is proud to support the partnership between Wayne Community College and Wayne County Public Schools to expand workforce training opportunities at Southern Wayne High School,” said Golden LEAF President and Chief Executive Officer Scott T. Hamilton.
“This partnership will create accessible, hands-on training in high-demand fields such as welding and equipment repair and help more students and adult learners earn industry-recognized credentials that lead to quality careers in Wayne County and the surrounding region,” Hamilton said.
WCPS Superintendent Marc Whichard said workforce development leads to economic development and that the new workforce training lab would demonstrate this. “Offering opportunities for students to remain here in Wayne County, and the good-paying jobs that will inevitably come from this, is a great thing for our communities,” he said.
“This space represents forward-thinking investment and connecting education, workforce development, and industry in a meaningful way,” said Craig Foucht, member of the Wayne County Board of Education.
WCPS students will also be able to earn certifications through 3M, a top manufacturer of personal protective equipment, gaining knowledge of foundational workplace safety principles. In addition to welding training, the lab also holds equipment for WCPS students to learn skills that lead to certifications in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.
“Southern Wayne High School was built to be a vocationally strong school, and look where we are,” said SWHS Principal Kelly Carter. “What a great day to celebrate what this school was really made to do.”
About Wayne Community College
Wayne Community College is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, the college serves around 10,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 150 college credit programs. WCC’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.