North Carolina Research Center Campus

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Castle & Cooke and the City of Kannapolis have been named the NC Community College System’s 2019 Distinguished Partners in Excellence. It’s a big feather in their cap as the partnership begins its second decade.

The goal: Training the workforce of the future.

DARRELL HINNANT

“By working together, we are able to create new and better opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds and interests. We expect our work to continue to propel more growth and prosperity for the city and the entire region,” said Mayor Darrell Hinnant.

The three-way partnership focuses on educational opportunities, workforce preparation and economic development.

Later this year of the new NC Food Innovation Laboratory at the NCRC will add a research component to support for new businesses and new jobs. 

Collaboration between Castle & Cooke and Kannapolis began over a decade ago, with an emphasis on hands-on and practical. They have helped advance the College Station campus, home to the RCCC cosmetology school, which opened last summer, and the Advanced Technology Center, which will open later this year.

The partnership award focused on two of the most notable partnership efforts, which included a significant investment from the City of Kannapolis to relocate the College’s cosmetology program from West Avenue in downtown Kannapolis to the former Big Lots shopping center on North Cannon Boulevard.

The relocation supports the new downtown revitalization project. Castle & Cooke donated three acres on the North Carolina Research Campus where the College’s Advanced Technology Center will be located.

The cosmetology program combines a scientific and artistic education with hands-on training in a salon environment.

The nearly 60,000-square-foot Advanced Technology Center will house classroom and laboratory facilities and will provide industry-recognized certifications, hands-on skills and customized training and support services to address the educational needs of companies with high technology demands and in emerging fields.

The partner award was established by the State Board of Community Colleges in 2006. It recognizes an exemplary employer, business or industry group that has demonstrated decisive involvement and firm commitment to the professional development of its employees.