CPCC aims to address worker shortages in North Carolina

CHARLOTTE — Enrollment is starting to rebound at Central Piedmont Community College to the relief of President Kandi Deitemeyer. After an 11% enrollment drop in fall of 2020, the student population grew 4% last fall and an additional 4% in the current spring semester, according to CPCC.

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Shorter programs that end in certificates or licensures and allow students to quickly enter the workforce are bouncing back the fastest, Deitemeyer said, including truck-driving training and health care certificates.

It’s been a difficult few years for community colleges across the nation as two-year schools saw the largest enrollment drops due to students stepping away to care for families and sick ones, or to pick up more hours at work. Deitemeyer, for her part, sees the glass “half full” and believes Charlotte companies will be reaching out to CPCC for workforce training and reskilling opportunities as they return to the office and consider their post-pandemic strategies.

Deitemeyer recently spoke with The Business Journals about how the second-largest community college in the state is addressing workforce needs, and the impact free community college in North Carolina could have on the economy and the regional higher-ed landscape. Read the interview here.

(Watch the video below: CPCC offers Emergency Medical Sciences program)