Continuing education experiences explosive growth at RCC

The Workforce Development and Continuing Education Division at Robeson Community College is excited to report that it is approximately 35% ahead of scheduled FTE projects for the year, shattering records and experiencing explosive growth in enrollment.

“Fall 2021 was the best fall semester in the history of the college,” said Eric Freeman, Interim Vice President for Workforce Development, Continuing Education and Institutional Services. “We earned 535 FTE just for the fall semester alone, setting a record, and we are probably going to set another by the end of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.”

COVID was a main culprit that kept the division from setting records last year and continues to be a threat to enrollment this year.

“COVID-19 is real,” said Freeman. “Some students were afraid and did not enroll, our classroom capacities were reduced by social distancing, and the prison shutdown, which negatively impacted our ability to provide training to inmates…. but we are trying to be resourceful and overcome those barriers.”  

One of the ways that Freeman says that they are doing that is through increasing access to education opportunities.

“We have really focused on how we can increase access to students by taking traditional classes that would have met on campus, and turning them in online, hybrid, or weekend courses to make it more appealing to our community members,” said Freeman. “This alone has helped us increase our FTE because we are increasing access.”

Some of the most popular short-term training programs offered at RCC include community health worker, EMS, massage therapy, and barbering.

As the division seeks to remain competitive, they are always looking to add new course offerings in the near future.

“We are planning on adding a truck driving academy,” said Freeman. “Truck drivers are now required to obtain training through an approved training program before they can get their CDL’s, so this will be a great opportunity for RCC to meet a growing need in the community.”

Also on tap for future offerings, gunsmithing and esthetician.

“We just started offering an AR-15 class, and it maxed out, and our gunsmithing class that begins next month is already full,” said Freeman. “We hope to launch the esthetician program soon at our Green Grove campus.”

Freeman says that they are also seeking ways to engage the Hispanic population in Robeson County.

“We are setting up a roundtable discussion with prominent leaders in the Hispanic community to discuss how we can best serve our Spanish-speaking population,” said Freeman.

Freeman adds, “We are just so excited to have this momentum and we look forward to continuing to build it up and just seeing what the future holds for continuing education, workforce development, and Robeson Community College as a whole.”