Durham Tech opens outpost in Research Triangle Park to help meet growing job needs
Durham Technical Community College unveiled a new outpost in Research Triangle Park on Tuesday, a center that will help local workers access specialized training, especially in the life sciences, pharmaceutical and therapeutics industries.
“We need to be in the park,” Durham Tech President J.B. Buxton said. “We want to be accessible to those employees. We want to be close to the heartbeat of RTP.”
RTP is home to 400 companies and nearly 60,000 workers spread over thousands of acres in Durham and Wake counties.
The Center for Workforce Engagement will be located in Frontier RTP’s 600 Building. It’s opening in partnership with the Research Triangle Foundation, the stewards of the park.
“RTP was founded to have statewide impact,” said Ray Trapp, a vice president at the foundation who is a community college alumnus himself. “We seek to be that bridge (between the) ever-expanding workforce needs of RTP and the specialized training that Durham Tech provides.”
Jerry Jones, executive director of the center, said he thinks they’re just scratching the surface of the potential.
“Because it’s not stagnant,” Jones said. “We’re still getting more companies, and these companies are still growing.”
Proximity to RTP companies
The center contains a classroom and two offices on the bottom floor of the building, but Durham Tech board chair John Burness said the proximity to companies is invaluable.
“Being located now in the park is huge, in a sense. I mean, the space itself is relatively modest, but boy, you can get an awful lot done,” Burness said.
Burness said their goal is to ensure the jobs coming to RTP are accessible to residents who live in the area.
“Not low-paying jobs, but high quality jobs, because we want people to live well,” added Brenda Howerton, chair of the Board of County Commissioners.
Rapidly growing Baebies Therapeutics has been working with Durham Tech for two years.
“This is less than 10 minutes from our office,” Human Resources director Jenine Pearson said. “It’s made it easier for us to offer the things that we need to offer.”
Eugene Lofton directs training for KBI BioPharma, which last year launched an apprenticeship program with Durham Tech that recruits recent high school graduates for on-the-job training.
“Now there’s a war on talent, as you know. And what we’re trying to do is keep the folks that we are bringing in to KBI, because we really need to make the medicines for customers,” Lofton said.
Voters approved a $113.7 million bond for Durham Tech in November, some of which will be used for new training facilities in life sciences and biotechnology on the main campus in central Durham.
