myCanvas / myCourses 
Blue Ridge Community College student works with robotic arm. (Photo by Rich Keen, Marketing & Communications Dept.)
This article was first published in the 2022-2023 Annual Report.
As a trusted partner to employers and a lifeline to students, Blue Ridge Community College faculty and staff intentionally align with industry representatives through collaborations and partnerships in order to respond to changes and needs in the workforce landscape. This can often be a complex coordination of shared objectives, intentional communication, and a willingness to roll up the sleeves when met with a challenge.
Last year, that alignment paid off when Blue Ridge heard from engineering firms urgently requesting help to train skilled workers for environmental and civil engineering jobs. Within just a few weeks of this influx of requests, Blue Ridge hosted a meeting with representatives from municipalities, engineering firms and environmental agencies, all of whom said, given the massive amount of infrastructure and development projects underway in our region, they could hire graduates immediately.
With the arduous task of launching a new curriculum program, all hands were needed on deck. Industry partners helped with sourcing equipment and encouraged employees to teach the new classes being developed. Meanwhile, the Blue Ridge team began the heavy lift of curriculum development and accreditation approval. The well-orchestrated plan involving many moving parts culminated in successfully launching two new associate degree programs in 2023 – Civil Engineering Technology and Environmental Engineering Technology.
This was the fastest response and development of curriculum the College had ever accomplished without an existing program from which to reference.
By investing in relationship building, Blue Ridge was top of mind to meet this need in the local workforce. The College was able to listen well and react quickly to develop a plan that not only addressed the problem but exceeded expectations. This experience serves as a model for creatively and rapidly responding to the region’s shifting industries in order to develop innovative training programs that will impact Western North Carolina for many years to come.
Learn more at www.blueridge.edu/engineering.