{"id":22776,"date":"2024-04-01T08:17:08","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T12:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2024\/04\/01\/sole-scholars-necc-launches-first-footwear-manufacturing-degree-in-new-england\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T12:00:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T16:00:56","slug":"sole-scholars-necc-launches-first-footwear-manufacturing-degree-in-new-england","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2024\/04\/01\/sole-scholars-necc-launches-first-footwear-manufacturing-degree-in-new-england\/","title":{"rendered":"Sole Scholars: NECC Launches First Footwear Manufacturing Degree in New England"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_27876\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27876\" class=\"wp-image-27876 \" src=\"http:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/hav-shoe.jpg\" alt=\"PHOTO: NECC's entry in the 2014 &quot;Soles of Haverhill&quot; shoe sculpture event\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-27876\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NECC&#8217;s entry in the 2014 &#8220;Soles of Haverhill&#8221; shoe sculpture event<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Northern Essex Community College is proud to kick-off a unique addition to our academic offerings in a nod to the manufacturing roots of Lawrence and of Haverhill (aka Shoe City) \u2013 an associate degree in footwear manufacturing. This innovative program is the first of its kind in New England, designed to blend traditional craftsmanship with the latest in footwear technology and sustainable practices.<\/p>\n<p>Launching next semester, this program will equip passionate individuals with the skills and knowledge required to excel in the ever-evolving world of fashion shoe design and manufacturing, with an add-on lab for would-be cobblers.<\/p>\n<p>Developed in partnership with the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce, NECC is honored to celebrate the history of cobbling and textiles in our home communities of Haverhill and Lawrence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a wonderful step forward for manufacturing in the Merrimack Valley,\u201d says Alex Eberhardt, President and CEO of the Greater Haverhill Chamber.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re excited to walk alongside NECC to flip this program to our members in the fashion and retail sectors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re pumped that this new program pairs perfectly with NECC\u2019s program offering stipends to students working in <a href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2024\/01\/23\/necc-providing-stipends-for-internships\/\">unpaid or underpaid internships<\/a>,\u201d adds Allison Dolan-Wilson, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at NECC.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis new program really gives the college a strong foothold within the local manufacturing economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NECC History Professor Rich Padova will host a kick-off event walking through both cities\u2019 contributions to shoe manufacturing. He\u2019ll also give a boot camp on the origins of April Fool\u2019s Day. April Fool\u2019s Day everyone! To learn more about the amazingly <em>shoe-perb<\/em> and <em>real<\/em> programs that NECC offers, please visit <a href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/academics\/program-finder\/\">necc.edu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Northern Essex Community College is proud to kick-off a unique addition to our academic offerings in a nod to the manufacturing roots of Lawrence and of Haverhill (aka Shoe City) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":26031,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[15,16,17],"tags":[261,466,65,66],"class_list":["post-22776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-headlines","category-press-releases","category-programs","tag-footwear-manufacturing","tag-noncredit","tag-april-fools","tag-april-fools-day"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - 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