WENDELL, N.C. (June 18, 2024) – Just weeks before Wake Tech East welcomes students for the first time, plans are already moving fast to add another educational facility at Wake Tech’s newest facility, with a groundbreaking ceremony held today for a three-story, $60 million Advanced Technology Center.
The facility will house Wake Tech’s biopharmaceutical technology degree program and provide a simulated actual biopharmaceutical work environment with a special focus on upstream fermentation and downstream purification processes, as well as a systems integration lab with advanced manufacturing equipment supporting robotics, mechatronics and Industry 4.0 technologies.
“This new facility will provide the specialized training needed by pharmaceutical companies and other industries in our region and throughout Wake County,” said Wake Tech Chancellor Dr. Scott Ralls. “Students who receive training at the Advanced Technology Center will gain skills sought after by local employers, giving them a competitive advantage.”
Wake Tech East will begin classes in August and offer the following degree programs:
- Associate of Arts
- Associate of Science
- Associate in Engineering
- AAS, Emergency Medicine Sciences
For those interested in learning more about enrolling for the fall semester, a special open house and tour is scheduled for Saturday, June 29, from 9 a.m. to noon, at 5401 Rolesville Road in Wendell, near I-87.
Once open, all classes will take place in the Education Innovation Center, which will feature smart classrooms, state-of-the-art chemistry and physics labs, an auditorium, a library, a tutoring center, as well as student meeting spaces and dining options.
Wake Tech East is also home to a unique Public Safety Simulation Complex featuring a 4D immersive street replica for training first responders from within Wake County and beyond, the state’s most realistic force-on-force training simulation village, complete with EMS ambulance bays and driver training courses supporting emergency vehicle and pursuit training.
The Advanced Technology Center was designed by Lord Ack Sargent and is being constructed by Monteith Construction and is scheduled for completion late next year with an opening date in spring 2026.
Future plans for Wake Tech East include Elizabeth City State University offering an aviation and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) program on-site and East Carolina University offering a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology.
For more information, visit waketech.edu/east.
