SANFORD - Central Carolina Community College will offer three new Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree programs in Fall 2019, as approved by the State Board of Community Colleges.

The new degree programs are Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology; Electrical Systems Technology; and Mechanical Engineering Technology.

The Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology program, commonly known as HVAC, is a two-year AAS degree program that includes certificate and continuing education options. The program will be based in Lee County at the Howard-James Industry Training Center. Students will learn the skills and knowledge needed for serving, repairing, and installing heating, cooling, and refrigeration systems in residential and commercial environments. Students will have the opportunity to obtain their EPA certifications for refrigerant handling.

"Technicians with the knowledge and skills to service and install heating and cooling equipment are in high demand," said Drew Goodson, CCCC Dean of Career and Technical Education. "CCCC is excited to offer a new degree in Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration that will help supply the growing HVAC industry with employees and provide good paying jobs for our graduates."

The Electrical Systems Technology program is a two-year AAS degree program that includes certificate and continuing education options. The program will be based in Chatham County at the CCCC Chatham Main Campus in Pittsboro. The program will work closely with CCCC programs in Building Construction and Sustainability Technology. Students will learn the skills and knowledge needed to repair and install electrical systems in residential environments. Hours in the program count toward the NC State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors experience requirements at a 50 percent rate.

"Electricians are in high demand and employees with electrical skills can find good paying jobs in our service area," said Goodson. "CCCC is excited about our new degree program offering in Electrical Systems and helping meet industry needs for new employees and providing our students with opportunities to build a career in the growing electrical field."

The Mechanical Engineering Technology program is a two-year AAS degree program that includes certificate options for Career & College Promise and curriculum students. The program will be based at the CCCC Lee Main Campus in Sanford. The program is a transition from the CCCC Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) program to help students become more mechanically focused. The Mechanical Engineering Technology program aligns with the Engineering Technology AAS transfer program with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology program at East Carolina University.

"Through the advice from our advisory board, it was determined that our students needed to have a purely mechanical focus in this area due to the local industry, whereas our CAD program included architectural design as well," said Constance Boahn, CCCC Department Chair for Engineering and Information Technologies. "We are setting our graduates up to be a more well-rounded mechanical engineering technician with drafting skills instead of a just a drafter."

To learn more about Central Carolina Community College and its programs, visit www.cccc.edu.

To register for any of these programs, contact the CCCC Admissions office at 919-718-7300.