The North Carolina Vocational Textile School was approved in 1941 and began operation in 1943 in Belmont. It was later renamed the North Carolina Center for Applied Textile Technology. In 2005, the Center was transferred to Gaston College and
became the East Campus and Textile Technology Center, currently the Kimbrell Campus and Textile Technology Center.

Kimbrell Campus

Currently, continuing education classes and curriculum classes are being offered at the Kimbrell Campus. Harney Hall was built in 1943 and has 64,000 square feet. The Classroom Building was built in 2003 and has 28,000 square feet and houses a 200-seat auditorium. The site contains 17.8 acres and has 273 parking spaces.

History

The North Carolina Vocational Textile School was approved in 1941 and began operation in 1943 in Belmont, NC because of its central location for the NC textile yarn spinning mills. The School was under the Department of Public Instruction. In 1972, the School was placed under the NC Community College System, and in 1991, it became the 59th institution in the Community College System, It was renamed the North Carolina Center for Applied Textile Technology. The early mission was mostly training employees for the textile industry. In 2005, the Center was transferred to Gaston College and became the East Campus and Textile Technology Center. A bookstore and library were added to Harney Hall in 2009. In 2010, the name was changed to the W. Duke Kimbrell Campus & Textile Technology Center because of a generous gift Mr. Kimbrell made to Gaston College.

Current

A 14-member Advisory Board from all over the state assists the Textile Technology Center in its advancement and administration. The current mission is to develop a world-class workforce for the textile industry in North Carolina and to support the textile industry by identifying problems confronting the industry and assisting the industry in solving them, garnering support from the textile industry for the work of the center, and serving as a statewide center of excellence that serves all components of the textile industry. To accomplish this mission, the Center does new and sample product development, product testing, training, and consulting. Many pieces of state-of-the-art textile processing and testing equipment have been donated to the Center.

Numerous continuing education classes and curriculum classes are being offered at the Kimbrell Campus. These continuing education classes range from Bank Teller, Computer Classes, Emergency Medical Technician, Spanish Language, English as a Second Language, Notary Public, Manufacturing Certification Program, Sewing, Small Business, Criminal Justice, Wastewater, and many others. Curriculum programs are offered in Fast Track Business, Human Services Technology and Nursing Assistant (CNA). Curriculum classes range from Accounting, Astronomy, Biology, Business, Early Childhood Education, Economics, Emergency Preparedness, English, Finance, Human Services, Math, Nursing Assistant, Reading, Psychology, and others. The site is used by many local organizations for meetings and classes.

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