When Governor Beverly Perdue came to Richmond Community College Monday to announce The Plastek Group is locating in Richmond County and bringing 250 jobs with it, she said the Customized Industrial Training Program at RCC will work with them to provide training tailored to their individual needs.

“This is a program offered by community colleges throughout the state.  You should know RCC is a strong resource to have in your community,” she said.

To learn more about other programs at the college, she toured campus and visited the Industrial Systems Technology classroom of Professor James Medlin.  She told students in the Diagrams and Schematics course about the new industry and asked if their classes would prepare them for jobs there.

Medlin handed her a machine part and explained how the students were learning to read schematics to install, troubleshoot, and repair equipment found in industry.  Students learn about motors and programmable logic controls.  He explained this curriculum prepares graduates for precisely the kinds of jobs The Plastek Group will have.

RCC President Dr. Dale McInnis showed Perdue the floor plan for expansion of the Forte Building into an industrial training center that better serves students in engineering programs and also serves the Customized Industrial Training program by providing a site where industries can bring equipment and hold classes for employees.

McInnis then took her to the Grimsley Health Science Building where 63 Associate Degree Nursing students were in the nursing lab practicing patient care skill sets.  Perdue talked with several groups of students and complimented them on their professionalism.

Her final stop was in the biology classroom of the Richmond Early College High School.  The students are in the second year of a five-year program that awards graduates a high school diploma and two years of college credits.

She explained she had to make hard decisions about the state budget and asked the students why the state should keep funding the Early College High School program.

“North Carolina should stand out in the nation and show the importance of investing in education.  The people you are teaching today are going to be the leaders of tomorrow.  The better education you provide them, the better leaders you produce,” said Solomon Stewart.

McInnis said, “I am very glad the governor was able to see how hard our students and faculty are working here at RCC.  She saw firsthand what we do every day for Richmond and Scotland counties.”