Delegation from Northern Ireland Impressed by VGCC

Vance-Granville Community College officials hosted a five-person delegation from Northern Ireland’s government on June 28 at the college’s main campus in Vance County. Led by Northern Ireland’s Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, the group was conducting a fact-finding mission on education and workforce development in North Carolina as part of a week-long visit to North America. Others in the group included Dr. Esmine Birnie, Special Political Adviser to the Minister; Colin Woods, Travelling Personal Secretary to the Minister; Lucy Marten, Principal Information Officer; and Michael Gould, Programme Manager for the Northern Ireland Skills Strategy. They were accompanied to Vance-Granville by Willa Dickens of the North Carolina Community College System.VGCC President Randy Parker welcomed the delegation in the college’s board room, presenting them with copies of his annual President’s Report as well as CD-ROM versions of the college’s catalog. He then led them on a tour of the main campus, starting with the Automotive Systems Technology program. There, program head Fred Brewer demonstrated the high-tech equipment he uses to train automotive service technicians. The tour moved on to the state-of-the-art Biotechnology lab, which was completed in 2006. Julie Kinlaw, an instructor based at the college’s Franklin County Campus in Louisburg, briefly described both the two-year Bioprocess Technology program and the 128-hour BioWork course. The BioWork training program, which Kinlaw teaches, was developed by VGCC with Franklin County-based Novozymes, and has been replicated by colleges throughout the state.Later, VGCC Distance Education director Evelyn Harris demonstrated the two-way video system — called VNet — that virtually connects Vance-Granville’s four campuses. VNet allows a student on any campus to participate interactively in a class being taught by an instructor in a specially-equipped room on another campus.After Parker explained that the VNet uses an internationally-accepted standard for communication, Sir Reg expressed a desire to explore how Vance-Granville could interact with colleges in Northern Ireland via video-conference. That should square nicely with the college’s recent emphasis on global awareness and making students competitive in the global economy. Parker likes to say that VGCC is “locally focused, but globally driven.”North Carolina has much in common with Northern Ireland and the relationship between the two regions, established over several years, has proved to be of mutual benefit. Like Northern Ireland, North Carolina’s economy is in a period of transition from an economy based on agriculture and traditional manufacturing to one based on knowledge and high-tech industries. Also like North Carolina, Northern Ireland is seeking to create more seamless transitions from primary and secondary education to college.Empey’s department has responsibility for both “further” and “higher” education in Northern Ireland. Further education is the equivalent of community college-level instruction in Northern Ireland and other parts of the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, four-year universities are considered “higher education.” Empey and Parker compared several differences in terminology between the two countries, with Sir Reg noting that the U.S. and the U.K. are “two countries divided by a common language.”The Northern Ireland group was impressed by the large number of locations — 159 — in which Vance-Granville offered one or more classes last year. VGCC’s campuses account for only four of that number, and, in addition, the college offers many classes online.Not only the number, but also the wide variety of subjects taught in the college’s programs astounded the visitors. “Is there anything you don’t offer a class on?” Sir Reg asked to laughter while touring an area used for Emergency Medical Services training.As the delegation prepared to depart, Empey expressed his gratitude to Parker for the tour and information, and presented the college with Belleek pottery, which originated in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.Before arriving at VGCC, Empey met with Erskine Bowles, president of the UNC System, and Martin Lancaster, president of the N.C. Community College System (NCCCS), to further explore examples of best practice in the two systems. The NCCCS, in particular, has worked closely with the Department for Employment and Learning in the past few years and has helped to shape many of the Department’s Further Education and Skills policies.“In order to compete in a global market, Northern Ireland must learn from examples of best practice from around the world,” Empey said. “The work being done in North Carolina is an excellent example of how a holistic approach encompassing Further and Higher Education and the business community can raise skills levels and attract inward investment.”The Minister was also scheduled to meet with North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, as well as officials at the state Employment Security Commission and the state Department of Commerce.Above: From left, Northern Ireland Employment and Learning Minister Sir Reg Empey and VGCC President Randy Parker discuss similarities and differences between higher education in the two countries. (VGCC Photo)