Pitt County awards PCC grant for new welding technology building

WINTERVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — Pitt Community College will be upgrading its campus with a new welding technology building.

Pitt County has granted the college $16.4 million of the $17.7 million that the school needs to complete the project.

“Thank you for increasing our ability to produce welders,” said PCC President Lawrence Rouse to the Pitt County Commissioners. “You may not be aware of it, but we have the largest welding program in North Carolina. Graduates from the program are finding jobs in the area with good pay, too.”

Approximately 400 students enrolled in PCC’s welding course for the Spring 2024 Semester. About 185 of those students take their courses on PCC’s main campus, with the rest spread out between five high school feeder programs.

“Our program has been so restricted for the past 10 years due to lack of space, so it’s been exciting to think about the opportunities the new building presents,” Keith Kinlaw, PCC’s Welding Technology Department chair, said. “There’s programming we’ve wanted to add over the years but couldn’t because of space constraints. Being able to finally explore those options, knowing we’ll have the ability to offer them and further enhance training for our students, has been a welcome change.”

The construction contract is set to be awarded in a few weeks, with construction to start soon after. The building will be located near Pitt’s Minges-Overton Baseball Complex. It’s expected to be completed by November 2025.

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