Central Carolina Community College Grows With Harnett County
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Educational opportunities in Harnett County are growing, thanks to Central Carolina Community College’s recent expansion of its West Harnett Center.
Opened in 2001, the center initially operated out of mobile classroom buildings. CCCC has now built permanent facilities on the site and will be diversifying the center’s offerings to serve a growing community.
“Residents from the western side of Harnett County had to drive 20-30 miles to access higher-education or workforce-training opportunities,” CCCC President Dr. Matthew Garrett says. “It just made sense to expand there.”
Located in Western Harnett Industrial Park, the center will focus in part on meeting the needs of local industry.
“We have two general-purpose shop areas than can be easily retrofitted to teach industrial applications. This will permit us to do specific workforce training for new industries that open in the park,” Garrett says.
The center’s new programs will also complement growth at nearby Fort Bragg, which has become a relocation point for personnel from deactivated military bases.
“There’s going to be almost $2 billion in construction at Fort Bragg, so we’ll be doing classes for the building trades – carpentry, electrical, that sort of thing,” says William Tyson, CCCC’s Harnett County provost.
In addition to its existing barbering school, Tyson says, the center will probably round out its roster with classes in computer use, sustainable agriculture and construction, and skilled trades such as welding.
But when it comes to CCCC’s investment in Harnett County, the West Harnett Center is just the tip of the iceberg. The college has seven locations throughout the county, and its programs give Harnett County residents access to unparalleled educational opportunities.
“Our laser and photonics program is the only one in North Carolina and one of the few on the eastern seaboard,” Tyson says. “Any student who goes through that program has a job before they graduate.”
For students interested in health care, CCCC maintains an educational partnership with the nearby Campbell University School of Pharmacy.
“Health care is huge right now. We want to meet what’s cutting edge in the medical field, especially in terms of nursing, and allied health and biotech,” Tyson says.
Even students looking for a traditional degree can find what they need at CCCC. Students can complete their first two years at CCCC and transfer straight into their junior year at any public university in the state.
In Garrett’s opinion, this variety of programs is emblematic of CCCC’s comprehensive commitment to Harnett County.
“We work closely with all Harnett County leaders,” he says. “Our people are members of the Harnett Forward Together Committee; we work with Harnett charities, agencies and civic groups. In every way, we live up to the name of community college.”
Story by Kathryn Royster
