Prospectus: Wake Works
Wake Technical Community College is pleased to submit its proposal for the new “Wake Works” program to
the Wake County Board of Commissioners. Wake Works would advance our shared mission to improve and
enrich the lives of Wake County residents by providing tuition-free education to students studying to join
critical-need professions. Consistent with the Commissioners’ goal of making community college more
affordable (Goal E 1.5), this would help ensure that we can meet the educational and workforce development
needs of the county while equipping individuals and families with the tools they need to succeed.

Three Needs: Skilled Professionals, College Affordability, and Economic Opportunity
The Wake Works program is built to tackle three challenges:

First, Wake County is seeing an acute shortage of skilled professionals, hampering several of our key
industries. In recent months, many of Wake Tech’s strategic partners—including Duke Energy, Cree,
Caterpillar, Bolton Construction, and Wake County government itself—have expressed concern that current
workforce strategies may not resolve labor shortages in many of the skilled trades. This is a refrain echoed
statewide. Wake Tech is uniquely poised to assist with this challenge.

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 Simply put, the supply of skilled tradespeople is not keeping pace with demand. After decades of emphasizing
bachelor’s degrees, both the Triangle and our state as a whole need more skilled professionals. Baby Boomers
are retiring from their jobs in construction, manufacturing, masonry, carpentry, and engineering, while
younger generations are either struggling for work or looking for jobs outside of these industries. Based on
employment projections from the North Carolina Department of Commerce, over 60,000 skilled trades jobs
will need to be filled by the year 2024. While some trades require an Associate’s Degree, others only require
short-term training prior to employment.
Helping recruit or redirect talent to available, high-paying, skilled-labor jobs is an expressed outcome of Wake
Works that will have a deep impact on the local and state economy. With the county’s help, this promise
scholarship will encourage students to consider careers in the skilled trades by removing financial barriers to
success.
Second, rising education costs are combining with an increasing cost of living and other social and economic
pressures to prevent residents from getting the education they need to succeed. Across the nation, the cost
of public colleges and universities has shifted from state governments to students. In the last twenty years,
the average inflation-adjusted public college tuition has risen by 281 percent (Budget and Policy Priorities,
2017). Additionally, college tuition increases have risen at a faster rate than financial aid and family income
(College Board, 2017). With inflationary and market-driven cost-of-living increases, higher education pursuits
are being postponed, prolonged, or considered “optional.” Community colleges like Wake Tech have become
the attractive option for students and families who want to pursue higher education without the exorbitant
price tag.
However, financial need is still an issue for many prospective students, who currently bear tuition, fees, and
other costs associated with attending college. Nearly 30% of Wake Tech’s students received Pell Grants or
other need-based financial loan assistance in the 2018-2019 academic year. However, federal funding and
financial aid do not entirely close the gap, with many poor and working-class students either struggling to
make ends meet or opting not to come to Wake Tech altogether. Only 50% of students can afford to attend
college full-time, slowing their entry into the workforce. This is why Wake Works is all the more essential in
removing barriers to accessing high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand occupations.
Third, individuals and families struggling to achieve upward mobility need help. Education is a cornerstone
of economic opportunity. However, there is a significant dearth of training resources that can help people
quickly get into well-paying jobs. Not only will Wake Works help workers become competitive, but Wake Tech
will work with Wake County’s numerous public, private, and nonprofit sector partners to publicize the
program among underprivileged populations and provide another tool to those working to implement
preexisting programs. While shattering stereotypes that skilled trades are “dirty jobs” may require a cultural
rebranding, Wake Works would better enable Wake Tech to humanize, highlight and destigmatize our
students’ stories while using them as case studies for those considering a job in one of these key fields.

Sources Cited:
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 2017. A lost decade in higher education funding. Retrieved from: https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/a-lostdecade-in-higher-education-funding
College Board. 2018. Trends in College Pricing 2017. Retrieved from: https://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing

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 How It Works
Wake County’s investment of $1 million annually would enable Wake Tech to provide full-tuition scholarships
to students in seven profession areas (see table below). A thorough review of available data has shown that
Wake County is seeing a critical shortage of tradespeople in each of these seven professions, and Wake Tech
has the capacity to serve more students in each program. In addition, Wake County government is
experiencing a shortage of EMS professionals and has identified the need to hire several dozen more in order
to maintain its high quality of EMS service.
Associate in Applied Science Programs

Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration
Electrical Systems
Emergency Medical Science
Heavy Equipment Repair/Operation
Mechanical Engineering
Plumbing
Welding
Total Spring 2019 Students

Current Students
133
95
55
3
109
23
128
546

Wake County Median Salary
$44,239
$39,755
$35,082
$44,042
$53,752
$42,549
$38,068

As a “last dollar scholarship,” the Wake Works program would require students to make full use of Pell Grants
and other available financial aid and scholarships. This helps to maximize our use of federal funding and
ensure local tax dollars stretch as far as possible. Wake Works would be open to anyone who has lived in
Wake County for more than one year and who otherwise qualifies for matriculation into Wake Tech. Enrolled
students must maintain a 2.0 GPA in one of the qualifying Associate’s Degree or certificate programs.
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 Wake Technical Community College Spring 2019 Tuition & Fees*
Credit Hours
16 or more
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

Tuition

Computer
Use/Tech Fee

$1,216.00
$1,140.00
$1,064.00
$988.00
$912.00
$836.00
$760.00
$684.00
$608.00
$532.00
$456.00
$380.00
$304.00
$228.00
$152.00
$76.00

Student Activity/
Athletics Fee
In-State Tuition
$48.00
$35.00
$45.00
$35.00
$42.00
$35.00
$39.00
$35.00
$36.00
$35.00
$33.00
$35.00
$30.00
$35.00
$27.00
$35.00
$24.00
$35.00
$21.00
$35.00
$18.00
$35.00
$15.00
$35.00
$12.00
$35.00
$9.00
$35.00
$6.00
$35.00
$3.00
$35.00

Campus Access
Fee

Total

$85.00
$85.00
$85.00
$85.00
$85.00
$85.00
$85.00
$85.00
$85.00
$85.00
$85.00
$85.00
$85.00
$85.00
$85.00
$85.00

$1,384.00
$1,305.00
$1,226.00
$1,147.00
$1,068.00
$989.00
$910.00
$831.00
$752.00
$673.00
$594.00
$515.00
$436.00
$357.00
$278.00
$199.00

How We’ll Measure Success
Wake Works will be deemed successful when there are measurable increases in the following:

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