Vance-Granville Community College has been awarded a $181,631 grant for the current academic year under the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006. These funds are being used to support students enrolled in VGCC’s workforce-oriented programs with student success coaches and the modernization and expansion of career-training equipment.

A portion of the funds support personnel at VGCC’s Student Success Centers, who serve as advisers to work with students in Business and Applied Technologies programs throughout their training — from enrollment to completion. The college also provides industry-advised faculty development to keep instructors up-to-date on the latest technologies through the grant funding.

“In conjunction with other grants and funding sources, the Perkins grant enhances our ability to educate, inspire and support students in technical fields, which are so vital to our college mission and to the economic health of our region,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of VGCC. “With help from this grant, our outstanding faculty and staff in career-oriented programs give students the practical training they need to succeed in the workforce.”

Perkins funds allow classes at all four VGCC campuses to have up-to-date career training equipment, including a manikin/wig dryer and, soon, a state-of-the-art facial imaging machine for Cosmetology students, drill presses for Welding trainees and 26 new webcams to continue to expand VGCC’s award-winning online course offerings.

Efforts to provide apprenticeships and to educate high school students about careers in advanced manufacturing also received a boost from Perkins funding.

The Perkins Act is the principal source of federal funding to states for the improvement of secondary and postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) programs. The North Carolina Community College System, which administers Perkins funds through competitive grants to the 58 community colleges in the state, also provides extensive training to faculty throughout the year and, publicly, on their newly launched teacher-training portal at www.nc-net.info.

“Funding through Perkins and other workforce grants currently at work on VGCC campuses are positioning us well for the expected job growth in our region,” according to Kaine Riggan, VGCC’s grants coordinator. “Perkins funds are expected to shift more towards work-based learning, and we are stocked, staffed and ready for it.”

Riggan added that with a healthy number of local manufacturing jobs and a comfortable commute to the Research Triangle Park area, the four counties served by VGCC have been a favored investment for federal workforce development funds in recent years.

For more information on VGCC Business & Applied Technologies programs, contact Dean Angela Gardner-Ragland at gardnera@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3226.

–VGCC–