A member of North Carolina's rapidly growing system of 58 technical institutes and community colleges, Wayne Community College was established in 1957. Growing programs include electronics engineering, industrial engineering, and business.
To meet the need for a more technologically trained workforce, a partnership was forged between NC Works, NC Community College System, and NC Commission on Workforce Development. Contributions to the building of technical skills included apprenticeships, Six Sigma Certification, and the North Carolina Career Readiness Certificate.
East Carolina University’s College of Engineering and Technology has become a campus model for helping low income students overcome barriers. Making this initiative possible is a grant from the National Science Foundation Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program. Aims for this program include improving educational outcomes for community college transfer students.