Wayne Community College was one of the top certification centers in the nation in 2016.
WCC was ninth in the NC3 (National Coalition of Certification Centers) national ranking of educational institutions based on the number of certifications their students earned last year.
The college has finished in the “Top 10” every year since 2014 when NC3 first started tracking certification numbers. Each year it has topped the previous year, starting with 373, improving to 480 in 2015, and jumping to 641 in 2016.
WCC currently offers 23 different NC3 certifications in its Automotive, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Systems, Computer-Integrated Machining, and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning programs. The newest certification, launched in November, is Advanced Measuring Instrument which is the result of a collaboration between WCC, other NC3 partner institutions, and corporate partners Starrett and Snap-on.
“The NC3 certifications earned by our students give them a competitive edge in the job market,” explained WCC Transportation Department Chair Craig Foucht. “These certifications attest to the programs’ quality over a comparable program at other institutions by showing employers our students were trained on and can properly operate high-quality equipment from industry partners such as Snap-on and Starrett.”
“Anything that gets our students hired over the competition is worth pursing, which is why we are a part of NC3,” he said.
WCC is one of five locations that host NC3 Train-the-Trainer national conferences. Foucht and Automotive Instructor Kevin Jordan are two of just 12 NC3 Train-the-Trainer instructors in the nation.
NC3 is a network of education providers and corporations that supports, advances and validates new and emerging technology skills in the transportation, aviation and energy industry sectors. It was established to address the need for strong industry partnerships with educational institutions in order to develop, implement, and sustain industry-recognized portable certifications that have strong validation and assessment standards.
Wayne Community College is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, the college serves 14,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 70 college credit programs.
WCC’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.