WENDELL, N.C. (June 18, 2024) – Just weeks before Wake Tech East welcomes students for the first time, Wake Tech’s newest location is already on a fast track to add another instructional building.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday for a three-story, $60 million Advanced Technology Center. The facility will house Wake Tech’s Biopharmaceutical Technology degree program, offering a real-life simulated biopharma work environment with a special focus on upstream fermentation and downstream purification processes. It will also house a Systems Integration Lab with robotics, mechatronics and advanced manufacturing equipment supporting Industry 4.0 technologies.
“This new facility will provide the specialized training that pharmaceutical companies and other industries need in this area and throughout Wake County,” said Wake Tech President Dr. Scott Ralls. “Students trained in the Advanced Technology Center will have a competitive advantage as they learn the skills local employers demand.”
Wake Tech East will open for classes in August, offering the following degree programs:
- Associate in Arts
- Associate in Science
- Associate in Engineering
- Emergency Medical Science Associate in Applied Science
A special Open House and tours are planned for June 29, from 9 a.m. to noon, for anyone who would like to know more about enrolling for the Fall semester. The site is located at 5401 Rolesville Road in Wendell, near Interstate 87.
When it opens, all classes will take place in the Education and Innovation Center, which features smart classrooms, state-of-the-art chemistry and physics labs, an auditorium, a library and a tutoring center. There are also student gathering spaces and dining options.
Wake Tech East is also home to the unique Public Safety Simulation Complex, which features a 4D immersive streetscape for training first responders from Wake County and beyond. It is the state’s most realistic simulated village for force-on-force training, with EMS ambulance bays and a driver training track that supports emergency vehicle and pursuit training.
The Advanced Technology Center was designed by Lord Aeck Sargent and is being built by Monteith Construction. Completion is projected by the end of next year for a spring 2026 opening.
Future plans for Wake Tech East include having Elizabeth City State University on site to offer Aviation and Unmanned Aircraft Systems programs and East Carolina University there to offer its Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology.
For more information, visit waketech.edu/east.
