North Carolina technical college breaks ground on seventh campus

Wake Technical Community College is constructing a new education and training facility in Wendell, N.C.

The 106-acre site will be Wake Technical's seventh campus, the college says in a news release. 

The college is calling the new campus Eastern Wake 4.0 -- a reference to a fourth industrial revolution that includes the Internet of Things and the networking of machines and technology such as 5G, big data, cloud computing and smart manufacturing. 

Funding for construction comes from a $349 million bond that voters approved in 2018.

The campus will have a public safety simulation complex with a reality-based simulation center for basic law enforcement training. The center will also have a driver training track and a 4D immersive training village. The college's emergency management services program also will be housed in the facility along with a new program for Unmanned Aircraft Systems. 

A general education and student services building will house classrooms, science labs, a library, an auditorium, and student service spaces. The general education facility will be the new home for the college's associate in engineering program. 

Future construction planned for the new campus includes a fire training center with a simulated burn tower, smoke rooms and pond for water rescue training, an innovation pavilion, a STEM education building, business and IT training, and facilities for short-term non-degree programs.

The community college serves about 70,000 students on six campuses and three training centers across Wake County. 

The first building on the new training site is projected to open in fall 2023.