President Ardalan signs AdvanceNC charter
Presidents from 10 North Carolina community colleges, including Randolph Community College President Dr. Shah Ardalan; the N.C. A&T State University and N.C. State University presidents, and six workforce development board representatives gathered Thursday, Sept. 21, at Central Carolina Community College’s Eugene Moore Manufacturing and Biotech Solutions Center at a signing event for the AdvanceNC charter. AdvanceNC is an innovative workforce development ecosystem developing a robust talent pipeline to support unprecedented economic growth in North Carolina. The collaboration optimizes strengths from community colleges, universities, and workforce boards — addressing the needs of thriving regional employers and positioning North Carolina as a global leader in advanced manufacturing.
Ardalan, left, signs to be a part of AdvanceNC. At the right is Piedmont Community College President Dr. Pamela G. Senegal.
“I am thrilled to announce our commitment to AdvanceNC, a groundbreaking initiative that holds immense promise for the future of North Carolina's workforce and economy,” Ardalan said. “The College is proud to join hands with our esteemed partners in academia, workforce development, and industry. At RCC, we understand the importance of education and training in shaping the workforce of tomorrow. Through AdvanceNC, we will work tirelessly to empower our students with the knowledge and skills required to excel in the advanced manufacturing sector. This initiative signifies a commitment to innovation, growth, and prosperity, and we are excited to be a part of this transformative journey.”
Gov. Roy Cooper, North Carolina Community College System President Dr. Jeff Cox, University of North Carolina System President Peter Hans, and North Carolina Association of Workforce Development Boards President Rodney Carson all spoke before AdvanceNC members signed the charter.
“There is so much good going on here from VinFast to Toyota to Wolfspeed bringing great-paying jobs right here to the central part of our state,” Cooper said. “We are the number one state in the country for business. That’s no accident. The credit belongs to the people of North Carolina. North Carolina has the best, most hard-working, dedicated, well-trained, diverse workforce in the world. When you invest in people, you invest in success, and education is the backbone of our economy and our workforce.”
The consortium recently applied for funding and designation of central North Carolina as an Economic Development Administration “Tech Hub.” If successful, the proposed project — known as the Central Carolina Cleantech Hub (C3H) — will strengthen the region’s capacity to manufacture, commercialize, and deploy critical clean energy technologies.
The AdvanceNC partners are:
- Alamance Community College,
- Capital Area Workforce Development Board,
- Central Carolina Community College,
- Durham Tech Community College,
- Durham Workforce Development Board,
- Fayetteville Tech Community College,
- Johnston Community College,
- Kerr-Tar Workforce Development Board,
- Lumber River Workforce Development Board,
- Mid-Carolina Workforce Development Board,
- C. A&T State University,
- C. State University,
- Piedmont Community College,
- Piedmont Triad/Regional Workforce Development Board,
- Randolph Community College,
- Sandhills Community College,
- Vance-Granville Community College,
- Wake Tech Community College.
Randolph Community College (RCC), under the leadership of President Shah Ardalan, is committed to providing relevant career training and educational opportunities. Affordable degrees and short-term certificate programs start throughout the year, both in person and online. For more information, call 336-633-0200 or visit www.randolph.edu and expect to engage with the most competent and compassionate team of faculty and staff.