Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt Tours Alamance Community College Biotech, Advanced Tech Programs

Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt visited Alamance Community College on Feb. 19 as part of her Future-Ready Community College Tour, touring the college’s Biotechnology Center and Advanced Applied Technology Center to spotlight workforce development and industry partnerships tied to the Future-Ready N.C. Plan.

At the Biotechnology Center Hunt toured laboratories where Alamance students train using industry-level equipment, a hands-on focus college leaders say is meant to prepare graduates for biotech and lab-support roles that regional employers are seeking.

In the Advanced Applied Technology Center Hunt toured industrial systems and automotive mechanics labs, program areas Alamance officials described as preparing students for careers in manufacturing and skilled trades that continue to grow across the Triad and in Alamance County.

Alamance Community College President Dr. Ken Ingle framed the visit as an opportunity to show the college’s role connecting residents to local jobs. “It’s great having one of our public officials, certainly the Lieutenant Governor, come and visit us and really be able to highlight the work we’re doing connecting our community to the workforce,” Dr. Ingle said. He also noted enrollment and regional growth pressures: “We see a lot of growth happening in our community, and with that comes a lot of industry and a lot of job opportunity. We want to make sure that every single person has the capability to take advantage of."

Hunt’s stop in Graham was one of a statewide sequence of visits meant to demonstrate how community colleges prepare students for high-demand careers and to advance a policy platform that includes investments in child care and early childhood education alongside workforce development. Newbernsj coverage of other stops described the tour as part of a larger Future-Ready N.C. Plan and reported that one of 58 visits is planned across community colleges statewide.

Other recent tour stops have included Craven Community College’s Havelock campus, where Hunt visited the Institute of Aeronautical Technology and the STEM Center that houses a partnership with the N.C. State engineering program; Caldwell Community College’s Electrical Lineworker Institute; Guilford Technical Community College; Brunswick Community College; College of The Albemarle; Forsyth Technical Community College’s Aviation Systems Technology program; and Pitt Community College’s education and child development program. WITN reported Hunt’s Craven visit had been rescheduled the prior week because of a snowstorm; the North Carolina Community College System posted about the Craven stop on its LinkedIn page, which showed 13,908 followers at the time.

Local leaders at Alamance Community College framed the visit as both a showcase and a call to deepen partnerships with employers and area leaders to expand training pipelines. College officials and Lt. Gov. Hunt highlighted workforce training, industry partnerships, and child care supports as central pieces of the Future-Ready agenda that the tour is promoting across the state.