VGCC hosts Advanced Manufacturing career awareness event


At the Advanced Manufacturing Career Awareness Day, VGCC Welding Technology students Jay Johnson and John-Paul Bresett, both of Henderson, talk with high school students and point out some of the equipment they use for training. (VGCC photo)

At the Advanced Manufacturing Career Awareness Day, VGCC Welding Technology students Jay Johnson and John-Paul Bresett, both of Henderson, talk with high school students and point out some of the equipment they use for training. (VGCC photo)

Partnering with local school systems, Vance-Granville Community College put manufacturing careers in the spotlight with its second annual Advanced Manufacturing Career Awareness Day on April 8. The event, in the VGCC Civic Center, was held in observance of North Carolina Manufacturing Awareness Week (April 7-11, 2014).

Approximately 400 high school and middle school students from Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties attended in order to learn more about future job opportunities and the training that could prepare them for technical careers. VGCC’s Industry Services and Applied Technologies departments organized the event in partnership with career and technical education departments from the four county public school systems.

Instructors and students from VGCC’s Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Technology, Automotive Systems Technology, Carpentry, Electrical Systems Technology, Electronics Engineering Technology, Global Logistics Technology, Human Resources Development and Welding Technology programs told the young students about how they could continue their education and develop skills needed in high-tech manufacturing. Students also received information about how they could get a head start by taking college classes while still in high school.

Manufacturers and other vendors from throughout the region set up booths as part of the fair, providing information on careers and demonstrating the latest industrial technologies. Participants included Altec of Creedmoor, CertainTeed of Oxford, Eaton Corp. of Youngsville, Gate Precast Company of Oxford, Glen Raven Mills of Norlina, K-Flex USA of Youngsville, Learning Labs of Morrisville, MPACT Maintenance Solutions of Greensboro, Novozymes of Franklinton, Palziv of Louisburg, Revlon of Oxford, and Southern Educational Systems, a regional provider of educational and training equipment based in South Carolina.

“The goal of this event was to get our area young people excited about careers in the manufacturing sector, which is rapidly changing, growing and becoming increasingly high-tech,” said Wesley Williams, chair of the VGCC Applied Technologies department. “Thanks to the support of our educational partners and participating employers, we succeeded in motivating and inspiring the students and providing them with an idea of how they can train to prepare for advanced manufacturing opportunities.”

VGCC and the four county school systems have recently been planning for expanded programs related to advanced manufacturing. The Manufacturing Skills Training Alliance, which includes VGCC and local Career and Technical Education high school programs, has received major grants from the Golden LEAF Foundation and the North Carolina Education and Workforce Innovation Commission. That funding will help purchase state-of-the-art equipment, pay for professional development training for personnel both from the school systems and from VGCC, and support paid internships in area industries for students and instructors. VGCC is also establishing a new Advanced Manufacturing Skills Center and planning a new degree program, Mechatronics Engineering Technology, with help from grants from the Duke Energy Foundation and the U.S. Department of Labor.