Raleigh: Three members of Her Majesty’s Treasury will travel to North Carolina from Great Britain to visit and learn from the North Carolina Community College System on Monday, February 4.

The United Kingdom wants to increase basic and intermediate skills of its workforce. The goal is to fill any skills gap and also improve productivity. Great Britain has set productivity targets for adults and the Treasury wants to learn from countries with better productivity, like the United States. Specifically, the Treasury wants to learn better ways to respond to the needs of employers. North Carolina’s reputation for education reform and excellent workforce training led to their decision to come here, the only state they will visit.

The group will spend Monday morning, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the North Carolina Community College System Office, travel at 1:30 PM to Wake Technical Community College’s Business and Industry Center in Cary, and end the day at Vance Granville Community College’s Franklinton Center, starting at 4:30 PM. At VGCC they will learn about the new BioWorks Program recently initiated by the NCCCS and several partners.

Jo LeGoode, Vice-Counsel at the British Consulate in Atlanta, made the decision to bring the group to North Carolina. "North Carolina is usually on top in education and workforce issues," said LeGoode. She added she felt the group would be able to gain valuable information in a short amount of time by visiting the Tar Heel State. In addition to the NCCCS, the visitors will also spend time with Department of Public Instruction and Commerce Department personnel. They will also visit two high schools.

Joining LeGoode for the tour are Sarah Mulley and Simon Ridley, Treasury Structure and Productivity Advisors and Joanne Daniels, an Education Advisor. Also joining the group to observe the sessions is Dermott Finch from the British Embassy in Washington, DC.

System President H. Martin Lancaster says the visit by this group is another indication that the mission of the Community College System is valuable, not only to North Carolina but outside the state as well. "I am always happy to share our methods and mission with others and to help in any small way to improve the economy of another country," he said.

Over the last year the System has hosted visitors from several countries including Russia, Senegal, Thailand and Japan.

-NCCCS-

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