5 things you may not know about Wake Tech

This article was written for our sponsor, Wake Technical Community College.

Serving over 70,000 students, Wake Technical Community College is the largest community college in North Carolina.

Wake Tech career services are available to the general public

Along with students and alumni, community members can take advantage of Wake Tech’s career services when looking for a job.

“Our college is very job-focused,” said Scott Ralls, Ph.D., president of Wake Tech. “For us to be a job-focused college, we have to offer extensive career services.”

Wake Tech’s Career Services offers a holistic approach to crafting a career. Career Services provides guidance at every stage, from the initial search and planning to the reality of the job search. That assistance carries through into starting a new job, growing professionally and seeking advancement. These services are offered at no charge to Wake Tech students, those considering Wake Tech and all Wake County residents who are unemployed, underemployed or need assistance getting back into the job market.

Dean Lynn Kavcsak says the services are highly individualized.

“Wherever you are in the process, we’re here to help – and we’ll be here for you in the future, to advise, counsel or help you connect with an employer or further study and training.”

Not sure what career to pursue? Take an online assessment available on the Career Services website or register for one of the many Career Lens Labs offered on campus.

Danayja Dunn used the Career Services resources to help decide between pursuing a career in nursing or physical therapy:

“The assessment I took showed that I might be more suited for physical therapy, since I have an athletic background,” she said.

Once individuals are ready to hit the job market — or change careers — they can visit Wake Tech’s Career Services for assistance in writing a resume, crafting a LinkedIn profile, preparing for an interview, negotiating salary and more.

Most all Wake Tech degrees are transferable

Community colleges offer two types of degree programs. The first is University Transfer, associate degrees that are designed to transfer seamlessly to a university. Wake Tech’s Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, Associate in Engineering, Associate in Arts or Associate in Science in Teacher Preparation and Associate in Fine Arts are accepted by UNC system institutions and many private colleges and universities as well.

“If you look at our degree programs, about half of those enrolled are in degrees where the student’s next stop or plan is to transfer to a university,” said Ralls.

The other type of degree is the Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree, which prepares graduates with skills to go straight into the workforce. Unique to many community colleges, Wake Tech has also developed special transfer partnerships with universities to allow graduates of these programs to continue their education as well.

It’s Wake Tech’s philosophy to provide opportunities for all graduates to “ladder up” in their careers.

“Our laddering initiative is very much about developing unique transfer relationships with our applied degrees,” said Ralls. “They are designed in concert with employers around the development of skills needed in the workforce right now.”

Data indicates that Wake Tech graduates who transfer to a UNC System university do quite well.

“Wake Tech graduates often outperform students who started at the university,” said Ralls. “In fact, Wake Tech was recently among six North Carolina community colleges meeting or exceeding excellent levels in transfer student performance in the North Carolina Community College System’s 2022 Performance Measures for Student Success.”

Wake Tech offers a robust campus life

Across its campuses, Wake Tech offers academic activities, networking opportunities, career advancement events, social gatherings and sporting events. In particular, students enjoy food trucks, festivals, university on-campus visits, social clubs and more.

“Our student government has always taken a very active role in student leadership,” said Ralls. “During the pandemic, student life was challenging, but we’re finally emerging back to being full of life.”

The large and diverse student body means Wake Tech clubs and activities appeal to many different interests, helping students connect with each other and giving opportunities to round out resumes. Some options available to students include:

Travel abroad programs
Student government
Volunteer opportunities
Skills competitions
Clubs
Esports tournaments
Athletics

Wake Tech trains the most first responders in North Carolina

Wake Tech’s Public Safety Training Academy trains more first responders than any other institution in the state. Its unique national CALEA-accredited facilities include a firing range, firearms training simulator, a reality-based simulation training room and a defensive tactics room. There are also online and continuing education classes and more resources coming in the future.

“We are building a very unique facility for public safety reenactments and simulations at our new site in Wendell, in addition to a new fire and rescue training center there,” said Ralls. “And because we are so big in scale, we have an entire campus dedicated to public safety and law enforcement education and training just south of the beltline in Raleigh.”

Wake Tech provides training for local law enforcement officers, firefighters and EMTs, the State Highway Patrol and the NC Department of Corrections.

More than 20% of Wake Tech students have a bachelor’s degree or higher

Nearly a quarter of Wake Tech students have at least a bachelor’s degree, due in large part to the fact that there are so many non-degree-seeking students and continuing education courses.

“Many of our students come back to us for a specialized degree or certificate or to help advance their career,” said Ralls. “It’s sort of a skill-based form of grad school. In non-degree programs, we’re layering specialized skills, and you’ll also see students coming back after earning four-year degrees.”

Popular programs that offer further training include health care, information technology and biotechnology. These additional classes allow students to earn certifications and advance their careers. Additionally, many community members pursue hobbies and interests with continuing education classes, from graphic design to computer science.