Dr. Scott Ralls, Wake Tech President
Jamie Thomas, Chair, Wake Tech Board of Trustees
Shinica Thomas, Vice Chair, Wake County Commissioners
Sean Mayefskie, Holly Springs Mayor
Shelley Curran, Cary Assistant Town Manager
College Plans Strategic Expansion for Workforce Development
College Plans Strategic Expansion for Workforce Development
College Plans Strategic Expansion for Workforce Development
RALEIGH, NC (September 21, 2022) – Wake Tech, the state's largest community college, is planning a four-year strategic expansion to meet the workforce training needs of our growing community. Wake Tech's $353.2 million Workforce Forward bond, on the ballot in November, will fund high-priority projects in four strategic areas: the expansion of Health Sciences programs, a permanent campus in southwestern Wake County, more cybersecurity training at the RTP Campus and renovations and upgrades collegewide.
The announcement was made today at the site of a new, permanent home for the college's Western Wake Campus, to replace its current leased space in Cary. The 34-acre site is strategically located at the intersections of U.S. Highway 1, N.C. Highway 55, and the N.C. Highway 540 Triangle Expressway. Approval of the Workforce Forward bond is vital to the start of construction there.
"The Wake Tech Workforce Forward bond will ensure that our college meets the growing need for education and workforce training in our community," said Wake Tech President Dr. Scott Ralls. "Apex is one of the fastest-growing cities in our state and the entire country. With the influx of IT, biotech and life sciences companies moving to Apex, Holly Springs and Cary, the time is right for a permanent campus to prepare the talent pool these companies are counting on."
A permanent Western Wake Campus is one of four strategic priorities for the Workforce Forward bond:
Independent studies indicate that Wake Tech generates more than $1 billion for the local economy each year, with each dollar invested in Wake Tech generating more than $7 in added income and social savings.
The following community leaders have signed on as co-chairs of the Wake Tech Workforce Forward Bond Committee:
Wake Tech serves more than 70,000 students each year, and this fall saw its largest enrollment in degree programs since the pandemic started. Approximately 75% of Wake Tech students reside in Wake County, with most other students coming from adjacent counties, forming the basis of the region's future workforce. The vast majority of Wake Tech students remain in the region after graduation and have average annual incomes almost $10,000 greater than those of high school graduates.
A national study by Georgetown University's Center for Education and the Workplace ranks Wake Tech in the top 20% of all colleges and universities in the nation – and the top 10% in North Carolina – for return on student investment 10 years after graduation. Previous bond referendums for Wake Tech were overwhelmingly approved by voters, most recently in 2018.
For more information, visit waketech.edu/2022bond.
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