Catawba Invests in Workforce Training
Published Jul 03, 2008
Colleges have teamed up to offer workforce training at HMHEC.
Catawba County is off and running.
The county’s appealing business costs, declared third lowest in the nation by Forbes magazine, a housing market that MSNBC ranked in the top 15 nationally and a quality of life that earned the Reader’s Digest nod as 10th best place in the nation
to live and raise a family are laying the foundations for an irresistible business climate.
But it’s not just mom-and-pop shops that are moving to town. Major corporations are taking notice and taking action based on the county’s growing business acumen.
Target announced construction of a $100 million distribution center in Newton that will employ 580 people after its completion in 2009.
Piedmont Oncology and Graystone Opthalmology are each building new medical facilities for a combined investment of $20 million.
What makes the growth in this North Carolina community formidable, however, is that local leaders understand that to be sustainable, development requires a constantly growing, constantly learning workforce.
Economic development and education are two sides of the same valuable coin.
Catawba County’s got that covered. The Hickory Metro Higher Education Center is a partnership among nearly 10 colleges around the state to bring needed educational opportunities to Hickory’s backyard. Faculty members from schools such as the University of North Carolina, Winston-Salem State University and Appalachian State University drive to Hickory and teach classes for credit through their respective institutions.
“As the workforce moves from a manufacturing base to service-based businesses and industries, HMHEC allows adults the opportunity to learn new skills and increase their knowledge,” says Ann Sperry, educational program manager at HMHEC. “For this region to continue to attract new businesses, the workforce needs to be prepared for the new opportunities.”
The center, which began as a joint effort of three colleges and the city and county governments, opened its doors in 2003. It has since graduated more than 400 students in bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, according to a message from HMHEC Director Jane Everson on the center’s Web site.
Myra Pennell is a teacher in a master’s degree program for high school social studies teachers at Appalachian State University. She said some ASU teachers drive the 52 miles from Boone to Hickory every week.
“I’m very passionate about this because a lot more people will participate if the program’s closer than they would if they have to drive that far,” Pennell says.
Her program’s enrollment has grown since they brought it from the ASU campus to HMHEC, and the first graduating class of 12 will throw their caps in the air this summer.
“When we can pool our resources and cast our net more broadly than just being in one stationary place, I think the whole population benefits,” Pennell says. “That’s a real feather in the cap for Catawba County.”
Story by Michaela Jackson
Photo by Ian Curcio
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