North Carolina College Meets With Local Auto Industry Leaders to Discuss New Career Center

Carteret Community College (CCC) of Morehead City, North Carolina, recently met with leaders of the local automotive industry to help develop a new workforce development center for trades and technology, reports Carolina Coat Online.

At a recent meeting with CCC administrators and trustees, instructors in diesel mechanics, automotive technology, welding, and other construction-related courses were present alongside several owners and leaders in the county’s automotive industry to discuss the construction of a new workforce development center, which the school designated as a top priority in February of 2020.

Though CCC launched curriculum programs in automotive technology, diesel and heavy equipment, and welding technology in 2018, the facilities housing these courses are outdated, with some of them still standing from the 1960s. 

With both a local demand for technicians and an increasing number of enrollment into the courses, instructors of the automotive and diesel programs highlighted issues with the current automotive building, including a lack of storage, no suitable space for live projects, safety issues related to ADA compliance and electrical infrastructure issues, and the need for updated equipment that complies with current industry standards.

Local business owners also voiced their concerns with the need for new, young technicians, and how providing adequate training is essential in bolstering the local automotive workforce. Carlis Hardin, a longtime service manager at Kurtis Chevrolet, said that the industry requires highly skilled techs right now. Kurtis Chevrolet Owner Dean Wagaman added that it’s important to provide those skilled workers with opportunities in their own community.

“The shortage is very real and we don’t want them to go somewhere else for training, we want them here,” stated Wagaman.