Update: This version contains additional information about Gov. McCrory's visit to Manufacturing Methods in Leland.

Gov. Pat McCrory came to Brunswick County Friday afternoon to talk up the merits of collaboration between educators and employers in producing in-demand skilled employees. In recent weeks, his office has expressed interest in creating apprenticeship programs in the state, and in ensuring that community colleges offer programs that give students the skills employers need.

Before heading to a roundtable discussion on workforce development held at Brunswick Community College's Leland Center, McCrory stopped in at Manufacturing Methods, a machine shop in Leland that has shown steady growth since its establishment in 2007, thanks to the use of sophisticated computer-programmed machinery and a commitment to lean methods. The company currently employs 26.

There is plenty of demand for Manufacturing Methods' products and, thanks to streamlined processes, the company has increased its capacity. The problem, according to company vice president David Ott, is finding enough skilled machinists to do the work.

A new machinist program at Brunswick Community College, however, is designed to address the shortage felt by area plants. The collaborative aspect of the program - involving area businesses like Manufacturing Methods to offer on-the-job training - caught the governor's attention.

The new program will emphasize hands-on experience, said Manufacturing Methods' general manager Toby Flynn.

"Unlike the Cape Fear Community College, which offers a two-year degree program, my understanding is that Brunswick Community College's will be a one-year certificate program that leans more toward hands on, with 60 percent hands on and 40 percent classroom," he said.

Ott said Manufacturing Methods has agreed to allow students in the new program to intern in its plant, giving them an opportunity to operate more sophisticated machines than those BCC has in its new machine shop at its Leland Center. Company representatives will also serve on the new program's advisory committee.

The big plus for Manufacturing Methods will be having access to graduates of the new program.

"GE is the big player in this area," said Flynn. "Because they are one of the largest employers, and they pay more, we lose employees to them and it's difficult to replace them."

During his visit to the plant, McCrory also seemed interested in Manufacturing Methods' equipment and its efforts, through investment and lean manufacturing, to compete against offshoring manufacturers, said owner Pete Peterson.

"He seemed genuinely interested in what the company did, and what it would take for us to grow," Peterson said. "Our plan, over the next three years, is to double in size."

He echoed the governor's point that, while it's good for economic development to attract new companies and new industries to the state, it is cheaper to help existing companies to grow.

"We stay in debt because we keep investing in new technologies," Peterson said. "A lot of companies buy new equipment and keep it for 15 years. Then they realize they can't keep up because they don't have the technology. We keep investing."