Randolph Community College leaders are planning to add a new campus in the town of Liberty.
The project is driven by the needs of major new employers including Toyota. The 22-acre campus will offer training in advanced manufacturing and other fields connected to the growth expected from the Toyota megasite currently under construction in Liberty. That’s about a half-hour drive from the community college’s main campus in Asheboro.
The new campus is part of what’s called RCC 2.0, a strategic plan for the next six years, says President and CEO Shah Ardalan.
“We know that other companies are looking to move here," he says. "And of course having a flexible and established community college in the area is going to help with future growth and bringing even more companies to the area.”
Ardalan says the deal has not been finalized for the land for the new campus. But they’ve targeted an area on U.S. 421 near the megasite. He says it will serve at least 500 students.
Toyota’s hybrid and electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant is predicted to be an economic boom for the area, providing more than 5,000 jobs.