Central Carolina Technical College (CCTC) has leapfrogged in five years from having about 150 students in Kershaw County to 900, and the school’s leaders are now touting an expansion of the school’s campus at I-20 and U.S. 521. Kershaw County is in the process of committing $5 million towards the expansion, and CCTC and county leaders want the city of Camden onboard as well. That only makes sense, as growth will provide a number of benefits, including more convenience for local students as well as greater economic development opportunities.

As we noted Monday, other agencies and entities could also eventually fall into a broad umbrella partnership, such as the Kershaw County School District and KershawHealth. Area universities could also benefit, with local students being able to complete the first two years of certain programs locally before transferring to traditional four-year schools. It’s an ambitious program, and one that would carry sizeable benefits in many ways.

One intriguing possibility is that CCTC could partner with the University of South Carolina to offer hospitality and tourism training to students, a relationship which would dovetail perfectly with the city’s efforts to promote tourism in Camden, the state’s oldest inland city. That’s only one example, as a variety of other partnerships could lie down the road. All in all, expanding CCTC’s campus at Exit 98 seems to offer a wealth of opportunities and few drawbacks. We will watch the progress with interest.