BCCC receives $2.5 million to build center in Aurora

The North Carolina General Assembly has awarded $2.5 million to Beaufort County Community College through a State Capital and Infrastructure Fund (SCIF) Directed Grant for the construction of a new 4000 square foot facility in Aurora, N.C. The facility will host trainings for contractors related to the operations of the Nutrien phosphate mine, and the college will also offer high school equivalency or GED classes as well as English language courses for new English-speakers. The grant allocations will take place across two years. The college hopes the investment will help reinvigorate and renew Aurora and southeastern Beaufort County.

“It gives us an opportunity to serve an underserved region of the county and of our service region,” said Dr. Dave Loope, BCCC President. “We’ve been looking for a way to have more of a presence in southeastern Beaufort County and Richland Township because of the transportation and childcare issues that prevent residents from traveling to campus.”

The college will purchase 3.89 acres in the new Aurora Industrial Park, which is currently owned by the town of Aurora. John “Sandy” Atkins will develop the property as part of a larger development that will host buildings for contractors related to Nutrien’s operations. Development of such an industrial park had been discussed for over eight years.

While the college operates satellite locations in Washington and Hyde Counties, those locations are owned by the respective counties. This will be the first time that the college has purchased land not contiguous to its campus since 1971.

The College and Career Readiness program has offered high school equivalency or adult basic education at the Aurora Library in the past, but this new center will give the college a permanent base for instruction in Aurora.

As part of its customized training program, the college offers training to build on the skills of employees at local industries. These students currently have to travel to BCCC’s main campus. The new facility will allow Nutrien employees and employees of affiliated contractors to train near their workplace.

“The college does significant amount of customized training with Nutrien already, but also Nutrien’s contractors,” said Loope. “We serve over 400 students a year who are employees of Nutrien. On top of that, we serve hundreds of additional students through Nutrien’s contractors. By developing a new building in Aurora at the industrial site, we can hold the training for Nutrien and its contractors virtually across the street from the entrance to the plant. The workers won’t have to drive 45 minutes to campus.”

The college will also offer its Advanced Manufacturing Institute at the new location. This two-week program helps people quickly learn safety and production skills to help qualify for positions with local employers.

Aurora Mayor Cliff Williams and N.C. House Representative Keith Kidwell helped secure funding through the North Carolina General Assembly as part of its allocation of the America Rescue Plan funds distributed by the federal government in 2021.

BCCC anticipates completing the design phase on the new building in 2022. Once the building is complete, the college intends to staff the facility with one new part-time position, with additional trainers and instructors shifting to the facility from BCCC’s main campus.