GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Leaders from Honduras, N.C. State, Gaston College and Catawba Valley Community College held a round-table discussion August 22 on the Gaston College campus.
What You Need To Know
Gaston College, N.C. State and Catawba Valley Community College signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UNITEC University in Honduras
The textile training program will train Honduran citizens through UNITEC, providing workshops, seminars and degrees
Leaders with Honduras attended a ceremony and round-table discussion with college leaders, and they say current growth projections indicate a need for more than 10,000 new skilled workers in the textile industry in Honduras over the next five years
With support from the U.S. Department of State, the colleges have started a textile program with Honduran citizens.
The groundbreaking initiative will include a series of educational workforce development programs, from training and certificate programs to undergraduate and graduate degrees in the textile industry.
Hector Zelaya, private secretary to Honduran President Xiomara Castro, says this is a great opportunity for Honduran citizens who want to learn textiles and can now be trained by professionals.
"This is important because we are incorporating the theme of education. To be able to teach the textile profession in Honduras, this will benefit the textile industry because when we hire Honduran workers, they will be qualified and professional textile workers," Zelaya said.
N.C. State's dean of Wilson College of Textiles, David Hinks, says partnerships like these are important. The pandemic showed how supply chain issues can affect everyone.
"Together we now provide an unprecedented and seamless workforce development pathway that includes certificates and associate degrees all the way to through Ph.D, this pathway will transform the lives of thousands of Americans," Hinks said.