North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has established a technology education partnership with Wake Technical Community College to foster degree completion and career development for information technology and biotechnology students.
The partnership between Wake Tech, the state’s largest community college, and N.C. A&T, the nation’s largest HBCU, will establish resources and opportunities for technology students along the North Carolina Innovation Corridor – including classroom and office space, jointly offered apprenticeship programs, a co-admission program and expanded articulation agreements.
Due to recent collaborations between the two higher education institutions on cybersecurity, computer programming and network management, N.C. A&T has become one of the top transfer destinations for Wake Tech’s IT graduates. Currently, there are more than 5,200 students enrolled in Wake Tech’s IT degree programs.
“North Carolina A&T and Wake Technical Community Colleges are national technology education leaders in our respective sectors, and this new collaboration will further the impact of both our institutions,” said Scott Ralls, president of Wake Tech. “When combined with our partnership with Wake County Public Schools on our RTP Campus, this new partnership creates an unparalleled technology education pipeline in the heart of one of America’s leading technology employment hubs.”
Under the new partnership, N.C. A&T will have access to classroom and office space at the Lilly Science and Technology Center on Wake Tech’s Research Triangle Park campus, including two A&T-branded classrooms and up to three faculty office spaces. This space will allow for enrollment and advising support.
N.C. A&T and Wake Tech will further develop and refine their existing articulation agreements – which dictates how credits may be transferred between community colleges and public universities. The institutions will also develop new articulation agreements in IT, computer engineering, biotechnology and biological engineering.
The institutions also plan to develop and expand co-admission programs to support Wake Tech students.
In addition, N.C. A&T and Wake Tech will develop jointly offered Level I and Level II apprenticeship programs in software development, software engineering, biotechnology, biopharma, biological engineering, cybersecurity and analytics.
They will also establish protocols for engaging technology employers in Wake County in partnerships and fundraising. N.C. A&T also intend for shared centers in cybersecurity and bio-agriculture in a new technology facility at RTP.
“North Carolina A&T’s commitment to creating innovative solutions that address the challenges and economic needs of our world calls for creating pathways to baccalaureate and graduate degrees for traditional and post-traditional learners,” said A&T Chancellor Harold Martin. “Our partnership with Wake Tech is critically important to achieving our mission as we work to enhance the human condition and facilitate economic growth.”
A&T is Wake Tech’s second co-location partnership, as East Carolina University offers a Bachelor of Science in industrial technology at the Southern Wake Tech campus. ECU will co-locate at Wake Tech’s Eastern Wake 4.0 site when it opens in 2024.
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N.C. A&T and Wake Technical Community College establish co-location technology education partnership – Triad Business Journal – The Business Journals
