Stating in its report that "The North Carolina Community College System plays an integral part in equipping the state's workforce," the committee emphasized some issues "critical to the State's immediate economic future."

By far the largest item in the recommendation is $225 million in equipment needs across the system. The committee urged the General Assembly as a whole to address the needs, saying, "The NCCCS is woefully behind in the financing of its equipment needs."

The committee report also recommends the appropriation of $1.6 million for FY 2004-2005 to the Focused Industrial Training program, which trains and retrains workers in existing industries. Last year, FIT trained almost 8,400 workers from 834 companies. In the past, the Worker Training Trust Fund provided half the funding for this program. With the demise of that funding, the system faces the loss of half of its FIT programs unless the funding is restored. The committee's report states, "Such a loss will be detrimental to the State's workforce and its immediate economic prospects."

The committee also called for a study, due in October 2006, to develop a funding formula that more accurately reflects the cost of operating different programs within the community college system. Nursing and information technology, for example, require more equipment and smaller classes and thus cost more to operate than do general academic programs such as English and social sciences.

Committee co-chairs are Senators Fletcher Hartsell and John Kerr and Representatives William Daughtridge, Jr. and William Wainwright.

H. Martin Lancaster, President of the North Carolina Community College System, praised the committee for its action today. "In these difficult economic times, I am pleased that these members of the General Assembly have recognized how important community colleges are in putting people back to work in jobs with real futures. Our community colleges are working as hard as they can to keep delivering quality education under the pressure of tremendous enrollment growth. New money for equipment, FIT and high-cost programs will get us started meeting a long list of needs."

The budget items endorsed today make up part of the overall expansion budget submitted by the North Carolina Community College System.

Other items are $55.5 million for enrollment growth, salary adjustments and formula restoration; $15.5 million in workforce and economic development programs in addition to Focused Industrial Training; and $10.9 million for multi-campus and off-campus center funding.

The North Carolina Community College System is widely recognized as one of the nation's best providers of workforce education and training. With 800,000 students in 59 institutions, it is the third-largest community college system in the United States.

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