Lenoir Community College opens aviation center at Global TransPark
Lenoir Community College marked the opening of the Senator Jim Perry Aviation Center for Excellence at the North Carolina Global TransPark, a workforce training facility college and state leaders said will connect local students to careers in aviation, aerospace and advanced manufacturing.
The center is a 57,024-square-foot training facility with classrooms, maintenance labs and a heated aircraft hangar, according to Lenoir Community College. The college says the center will support aviation management, career pilot technology, aviation systems technology and short-term training programs.
Speakers at the ribbon cutting included E. Randolph “Randy” Smith, LCC President Dr. Rusty Hunt, North Carolina Global TransPark Authority Board of Directors Chairman Tom Hendrickson, Sen. Jim Perry, N.C. Transportation Secretary Daniel Johnson and Gov. Josh Stein by video.
Hunt said the center represents more than the opening of a building.
“It represents what can happen when communities choose to invest in our people,” Hunt said. “This facility stands as a commitment to workforce development, economic growth and educational access. And it stands as a promise to students that they do not have to leave eastern North Carolina to find world-class training and life-changing opportunities.”
Hunt said the most important people connected to the facility are the students who will use it.
“Some of the students who will walk through these doors will be the first in their families to attend college,” Hunt said. “Some may have wondered whether higher education was even financially feasible for them. Others may be searching for a second chance or even a new direction. This center is built for them.”
Hunt also announced new or expanded educational partnerships connected to the aviation center. Those include an ACE Academy for high school students in partnership with Lenoir, Greene and Jones county public schools. Students will be able to take college courses at the aviation center while still in high school through the Career and College Promise program.
Hunt also announced partnerships with Elizabeth City State University and East Carolina University. Under the Elizabeth City State partnership, qualifying students may be co-admitted to LCC and ECSU, with ECSU providing flight training at the Global TransPark campus. Hunt said LCC graduates also will be able to complete a four-year aviation degree through ECSU without leaving the region.
The East Carolina University partnership includes an expanded articulation agreement with ECU’s Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology program, adding LCC’s aviation programs to the agreement. Hunt also highlighted ECU’s LoRa project, which uses sensors and a rooftop gateway receiver to collect data from the facility and surrounding area.
Hendrickson said the center comes as the Global TransPark is seeing aviation and defense-related growth, including Fleet Readiness Center East operations and Airbus activity.
“This new center marks the beginning of a new era of aviation for Global TransPark,” Hendrickson said.
He said LCC has worked with Global TransPark tenants to understand workforce needs and train students for those jobs.
“No longer do students have to leave in search of career opportunities,” Hendrickson said. “The jobs are here, and more are coming.”
Perry, whose name is on the facility, said the center is not about him but about future students and workers.
“It’s about the next generation of pilots, mechanics, engineers and aviation professionals who will walk through these doors and chase their dreams and have the opportunity to do so right here at home,” Perry said.
Perry, a former LCC student, graduate and trustee, said the technology taught at the center will change quickly as the aviation industry changes.
“When I look at this magnificent building, I don’t just see the brick, the steel and the glass,” Perry said. “I see a home of future innovation, of learning and a home to our next generation of leaders.”
Johnson, who became state transportation secretary Oct. 1 after being appointed by Stein, said the center fits into North Carolina’s broader transportation and workforce needs.
“Our community colleges really are the backbone of opportunity for North Carolinians and a valuable resource for our business community,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the aviation center is well-positioned at the Global TransPark, which he described as a hub for aerospace, advanced manufacturing and military support.
“North Carolina is the first in flight state, but we are also the future in flight,” Johnson said. “At NCDOT, we don’t just build roads and bridges. We build pathways to opportunity.”
Johnson said the center will help train students for high-paying aviation jobs, from high school students learning private pilot skills to adults training in turbine engine repair.
“To the students who will walk these halls, the sky is literally the limit,” Johnson said. “Let’s celebrate this Aviation Center for Excellence, not just as the completion of an impressive project, but as a launchpad for a thousand careers.”
In video remarks, Stein said the facility will help prepare North Carolina’s aviation workforce.
“From this center, students will gain the high-tech skills they need to land rewarding careers in the sky and on the ground,” Stein said.
Stein said the Aviation Academy will allow local high school students to begin earning credentials before graduation.
“It’s a win, win, win for students, employers and our economy as a whole,” Stein said.
The ribbon cutting closed with tours of the facility.
