Wake Technical Community College has opened a new advanced manufacturing center in Raleigh.
Along with a cosmetology program and a career and college preparation program, the Beltline Education Centerwill offer training in machining, automation and circuit technology.
""Especially now, with everybody going to higher technology machines, there's kind of a skills gap that we have been addressing," says Industry Training Director BillTerrill.
He says the first group of students are employees at area companies.
"Usually you can't touch or work with your own machines because they're running and producing things, and so we've developed a system that replicates that so that they can take it apart and put it back together and get a better feel for the new technology."
Terrill says the program is expected to open up to the general public this summer.