One of the Piedmont Triad’s key industries will receive two more years of education, research and workforce development from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a two-year renewal of funding to the Transportation Institute at N.C. A&T.
“The Triad’s excellent geographic position makes it a prime location for the transportation and logistics industry,” said Dr. Kathryn Dobie, director of the Institute.
“But continued job growth and business success require more than just great location. Technology and the challenges of our economy make transportation and logistics as complex and dynamic as any high-impact industry.
“Our goal is to help the industry – and related ones, like construction – to grow and thrive in its rapidly changing environment and to be as efficient and effective as it can be.”
The Institute’s initiatives serve students, industry professionals, and businesses, both large and small. In the past five years, it has received more than $2.5 million from federal and state agencies. Its ongoing programs include:
- The Right of Way Training Program
- The N.C. A&T/N.C. DOT Construction Contractor Technology Certificate Program,
- The Summer High School Transportation Institute, and
- The Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship program.
It also offers seminars, workshops, lectures, publications, and other information.
The Institute is a program of the School of Business and Economics at A&T. It was established in 1970.
The university received the new funding as a member of the Southeastern Transportation Center consortium, a group of 10 universities in the region. The university’s funding is included in a $5.5 million award to the consortium.
In addition to N.C. A&T, members of the regional consortium include the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, the lead institution; the University of Alabama, Birmingham; the University of Central Florida; Clemson University; the University of Kentucky; the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill; and the University of South Florida.
The new award is one of 10 granted nationwide to regional university transportation centers. |
