CPCC Awarded $1 Million to Establish an Advanced Manufacturing Training Facility April 26, 2005

Released By Central Piedmont Community College

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) announces the creation of a new high-tech, hands-on, training facility on the Central Campus in Charlotte made possible by an award of $601,672 from the Department of Labor as part of President Bush’s High Growth Job Training Initiative for Advanced Manufacturing. The federal award was matched locally by grants from Duke Power ($250,000) and the N.C. Department of Commerce ($240,821), representing a powerfull economic development partnership of the federal and state government and regional businesses.

The program includes both instructor-led classes and hands-on training in electronics, hydraulics and pneumatics, piping systems, electrical sensors and basic mechanical devices, as well as principals of how multiple systems interact. This new facility will use integrated system technology (IST) to train displaced workers for jobs that require setting up, operating, and maintaining a variety of high-tech manufacturing systems. The lab will help currently employed industry workers upgrade their technical skills to better meet the needs of today’s work environment. Upgrading technical skills of incumbent workers is a valuable tool local industries can use to avoid layoffs and to remain competitive in the global economy.

Also through this initiative, CPCC will offer an apprenticeship program and advanced manufacturing courses toward an Associate of Applied Science degree (AAS).

Class curricula and lab equipment were developed under the leadership of the University of Southern Illinois and such industry giants as Caterpillar, Ford, IBM, Proctor and Gamble, Goodyear, and ALCOA.

CPCC is the largest community college in North Carolina, offering over 100 degree, diploma, and certification programs, customized corporate training, market-focused continuing education, and special interest classes.

Contact Information:

David Rhew
Central Piedmont Community College
704-330-6660

Rose Cummings
Duke Power
704-382-8333, Option 1