DOBSON — Surry Community College is trying to determine the best programs to offer in Elkin and Pilot Mountain, and the school is looking to area residents to help in the decision making process.

This assessment will enable the college to establish the appropriate course and program offerings for the Elkin and Pilot Mountain communities, as a result of being awarded a recent Golden LEAF grant to establish facilities there.

Needs assessment surveys will be available from the town hall in Elkin and Pilot Mountain, through a link on Surry Community College’s Web site (surry.edu and click on “surveys” near the top), and distributed by community volunteers to churches, fire departments, and civic clubs. All surveys are due by May 15.

This grant will enable Surry Community College to establish Centers for Learning, Education, and Retraining in Pilot Mountain and Elkin. These centers will allow residents of the municipalities, as well as the surrounding rural communities, to obtain training to upgrade personal and professional skills, preparing them for the workforce. Partnerships are being formed with municipal officials to establish permanent training facilities in each town.

Improved access to educational and entrepreneurial opportunities in familiar settings is expected to ease the transition from unemployment to real employment. The convenience of permanent college-based programming in Pilot Mountain and Elkin should assist local and regional economic development efforts, making each town more desirable for new or relocating businesses and industries, the college said.