Wes Hill Named Dean of Continuing Education at WCC

By Press release submission

Jul 12, 2022

Continuing Education has a new leader. On June 1, Wes Hill assumed the role as Dean of Continuing Education at Wilson Community College.

Wes is a lifelong Wilson resident. He earned a bachelors in Business Administration with a minor in Information Technology and a Master of Business Administration, all from East Carolina University. After graduation, he worked in the information technology industry and later landed positions in higher education. Wes worked as an Information Technology Instructor and Department Chair for Edgecombe Community College for 9 years before returning to Wilson, when in 2012, he was hired as Dean of Business and Applied Technologies at Wilson Community College. During his time in that role, he oversaw all curriculum (diploma and degree) programs in the department.

And now he’s leading the Continuing Education side of the house.

Wes shared, “I’m humbled and honored to be named Dean of Continuing Education at Wilson Community College. Wilson is home for me and it’s exciting to be in a position to help facilitate the transformation and enrichment of the lives of our citizens who come to us to help meet their education and career goals.”

Wilson Community College’s Division of Continuing Education serves literally thousands of people every year. So, what is Continuing Education exactly? Wes explains it well: “Continuing education at Wilson Community College is similar to a buffet. We have lots of options! We offer courses in Adult High School for those who want to complete their high school diploma. We offer law enforcement, fire, nurse aid, and EMS training courses. Our Small Business Center is one of the best centers in the state for assisting small business owners and entrepreneurs. We have short-term training for both industry and workers looking to add to their skills. Our personal enrichment courses are some of the most popular courses at the College. We literally can offer most anything that’s workforce driven to the citizens and industry of Wilson County.”

Continuing Education classes are designed to provide occupation-speciﬁc knowledge and/or upgrade skills. Some are offered completely face-to-face, some are online, and others are offered as a combination of classroom and online instruction. Instructors may be Wilson Community College faculty members, local industry professionals, or someone with advanced experience in their field. In some cases, the College partners with regional and national training providers.

The higher education model has been changing for years, but COVID has accelerated it. The importance in the development of our workforce is greater than ever. There has and will always be a place for degrees. However, research shows that industry is increasingly looking for specific skillsets in their employees. The wonderful thing about continuing education is that we can offer short-term training and certifications for those who are looking to upskill or increase their knowledge base in a short period of time. We can meet the needs of industries quickly.

“My vision for Continuing Education is to continue to serve the short-term educational/workforce training needs of Wilson County. We want to be flexible and have the ability to turn on the dime, if needed, to meet industry requests. We want to be at the forefront of training in new areas such fiber optics, industry licensures, apprenticeships, and others. We also want to build pathways and provide support to students who start out, or potentially end up, in continuing education by showing them career and educational opportunities,” said Wes.

Registration is open now. For more information about classes offered, visit the Continuing Education page or give us a call at (252) 291-1195 for information on your speciﬁc area of interest. #WilsonCC We make Wilson work.

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