Durham Tech sees surge in students pursuing health care, IT and trade careers
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Durham Technical Community College recently began the fall semester; ABC11 is taking a closer look at the explosive growth happening on campus as students of all ages and backgrounds gain hands-on experience and prepare for careers in booming industries, including health care, information technology and the skilled trades.
Health care is a growing industry, and hands-on lab-focused education is helping prepare graduates to enter the workforce.
"We are getting that hands-on experience, and we are being taught by people who have been in the field themselves, so they know exactly what to do and what the state boards are looking for," said Durham Tech student Nadya Bennett.
Bennett earned a chemistry degree in 2024 but decided to change career paths.
"I actually graduated in 2024 with a chemistry degree, but I'm making a career change into nursing," Bennett said. "Once you complete this CNA program and earn that license, you can get a job. People I know who completed this program were able to find jobs very easily."
Many students enroll in Durham Tech programs to change careers or gain new skills. However, J.B. Buxton, president of Durham Tech, said enrollment growth among younger students is accelerating.
"When you think about nontraditional students, you generally think older, but nontraditional is starting to skew younger," Buxton said. "We've doubled our high school population taking college courses since I've been here. The best example is our Durham Early College of Health Sciences, where ninth-graders begin taking courses in nursing, surgical technology, medical assisting and clinical trials. When they finish four years later, they'll have the credentials they need to enter the workforce."
Currently, an electrical class at Durham Tech has the college's longest waitlist.
"One of the great things about the trades is you're not just sitting at a desk looking at a book or listening to a lecture," Buxton said. "You're doing this work. You're building it. You're not just learning about it. You're learning the skills and using the tools you'll need in the workforce."
Durham Tech has experienced enrollment growth for years, but the makeup of its classrooms is changing. The college is seeing more traditional students straight out of high school, many of whom are pursuing careers that can lead directly to employment after graduation.
"It is more than I could ask for. I would say it's like Disney World for IT students," said Andrew DiNetta, an IT student at Durham Tech.
With technology rapidly evolving, Durham Tech's IT lab is helping students prepare for a changing industry shaped by artificial intelligence.
"Definitely hands-on," DiNetta said. "I've worked in the data center, on networking projects and in customer service, helping students troubleshoot their computers in our open labs."
Students are not only seeking careers that can withstand advances in AI but also jobs that support the expanding technology sector.
"Students know there's this AI component where increasingly AI is coding and handling some network engineering tasks that people used to do exclusively," Buxton said. "We've made a real effort to think about where we need to embed AI skills, knowledge and tools into our programs. I think the continued strength in IT is because people see they're going to benefit from those skills as they move into the industry."
There are tens of thousands of job openings across the country for qualified workers in these fields.
