You may have heard or read about the new biomanufacturing company, ABEC, coming to Wilson. This is exciting news for our community, as ABEC will bring 250 new jobs and a great investment to Wilson.
Wilson Community College is especially excited, not only about what it means for Wilson, but also because we are fortunate enough to help with training over the next few years. And this is completely free for ABEC. As part of the expansion package, ABEC will receive over $300,000 worth of customized training from WCC.
In fact, did you know Wilson Community College plays a huge role in training local businesses and industries, oftentimes for free?
The College’s Customized Training Program supports the economic development efforts of Wilson County by providing education and training opportunities for eligible businesses and industries. All training is tailored to the company’s specific need and is delivered on site, at times convenient for the company. It is completely free for eligible businesses and industries that are experiencing job growth, deploying a new technology, or seeking to enhance the skills of an existing workforce.
Businesses thrive when employees are well-trained and prepared to meet the ever-increasing demands in today’s workplace environments. Some examples of training include maintenance, quality, continuous improvement, safety, and automation. The program has the flexibility to partner with third-party vendors so that any need can be met by industry-experienced professionals. The instructors are some of the best in the area, and the training can oftentimes be created quickly to meet industry needs. And all training is offered on-site with flexible hours to accommodate employee work schedules and production timelines.
To break it down, in the 2021-2022 fiscal year, we provided $107,894 worth of customized training to 224 employees at four companies. Those companies were 3C Store Fixtures, Ardagh Group, Smithfield Foods, and Sun River Services. We have recently started working with Merck to get a project going too.
The College also receives Business and Industry Support funding, which is basically funding for training in safety and management that is not specific to any one company. We are allotted a certain amount each year. Just this past year, we trained with Ardagh, Bridgestone, Second Nature, Southern Container, 3C Store Fixtures, Sun River Services, and Weener Plastics using this specific funding allocation, which equated to 76 employees. Some of those trainings were Forklift Operator Training, Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, and OSHA-30 Hour Training, just to name a few.
If your business or industry is interested and eligible, contact Robby Taylor, Director of Workforce Development, at rtaylor@wilsoncc.edu or (252) 246-1421. #WilsonCC We make Wilson work.
What’s Happening
- August 29 – Community Chorus at 7:00 p.m. in C-101
- August 29-September 2 – Welcome Back Week