Engineering school plans taking shape

The Caldwell County region will soon have another educational opportunity as plans are moving forward for an engineering school to help the region prepare for the highly technical job skills that manufacturers are seeking.

Ann Smith, chairwoman of the regional development initiative known as Future Forward, said the group is in the final stages of purchasing a building in Hickory that will house the new North Carolina Center for Advanced Engineering.

"The site is perfect for what we are going to do," said Smith.

Organizers of the center, which will be a collaboration among Future Forward, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC-C) and Western Carolina University (WCU), said they hope to offer some classes beginning in the fall.

"I fully expect to see some level of activity there during the coming school year, but exactly when, I can't tell," said Jim Woodward, UNC-C chancellor. "We want to have a presence in the Hickory area as soon as possible."

Woodward said although UNC-C will be the lead institution at the center, they will be working closely with WCU.

"We have been asked to serve as the lead institution but we will be working hand in hand with Western," said Woodward. "In particular, their manufacturing engineering technology program will be one of the first programs put in place in Hickory."

John W. Bardo, chancellor of WCU, said the university is looking forward to working with all the institutions involved.

"We at Western Carolina University are pleased that we will be collaborating with our colleagues at UNC-Charlotte to bring new educational programs to the people of Hickory and surrounding areas," said Bardo.

Woodward said the center is necessary for the region.

"The University of North Carolina must do more to support the economic needs of the Hickory region, in particular to provide more technology related education and research programs," said Woodward.

"Bardo said the region's future depends on educational opportunities that will be available to the community.

"Increasing the availability of educational opportunities is an integral part of a strategic approach to help ensure that the region - in fact, all of North Carolina - can be economically competitive in today's high-tech global economy," said Bardo.

John Howard, executive director of the Caldwell County economic development commission, said it is important to get the center up and running as quick as possible.

"There's a dire shortage of engineers in the workforce," said Howard.

Howard said the center will provide skills employers are looking for.

"The days of labor dependency are gone," said Howard. "It's skills training for the future."

County Commissioner Herb Greene, who played a key role in the center's planning, said the center will provide local industries with resources they have never had before in the region.

"They will look at us in a different light," said Greene. "We will be able to offer a continuous supply of educated people."

Greene said the center will have a dramatic influence on the county.

"This is a long term fix to a critical problem," said Greene. "I think you will see a totally different world in three to five years with a trained and qualified workforce."

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