North Carolina's community colleges seem to be benefiting from the current economic slump.

Educators from the state's 58 community colleges kicked off a convention Sunday afternoon at Raleigh's new convention center.

They talked about the benefits for students of attending community college, including the relatively low cost of tuition.

The average cost of tuition, the state said, is $672 dollars for in-state students.

"It's very cheap and it's economical," said culinary student Anna McClintock, who attends Asheville-Buncombe Tech Community College in Asheville.

McClintock was just one of the culinary students who showed off their culinary skills Sunday during the college convention.

North Carolina Community College System President Scott Ralls called the school's an "economic cavalry," fighting the current financial trend.

"We're the people North Carolinians turn to when economic times get tough and we see that with our burgeoning enrollments," he said.

Dr. Stephen Scott, president of Wake Tech Community College in Raleigh, said enrollment this semester is up 14 percent compared to one year ago.

"So the question is where will we put those students and how will we get the resources to train them?" he said.

Scott said the state recently cut funding in its budget, making it more difficult for Wake Tech to grow and expand in the coming year.

The community college convention wraps up Tuesday.