Monroe County CC Starts Work On Career Tech Center
MONROE -- Construction officially Friday on the new $17 million Career Technology Center at Monroe County Community College.
The 60,000-square-foot building will rise on a construction site adjacent to the Life Sciences Building.
The Career Technology Center will provide infrastructure to support state-of-the-art classrooms and lab space required to deliver instruction and skills necessary to secure high-growth, high-demand and high-paying jobs, said MCCC President David Nixon.
The Career Technology Center will allow for the updating and expansion of existing programs now housed in the East and West Technology buildings, which are inadequate to meet modern technology needs.
These include program areas such as nuclear engineering, welding, construction, computer-aided drafting and manufacturing, electronics, mechanical engineering and automation, quality assurance, and automotive engineering and service with an emphasis on hybrid and battery technology.
In addition, the Career Technology Center will provide facilities and equipment necessary for the development of programs in the emerging areas of advanced manufacturing; renewable energies such as wind, solar and fuel cell technology, and sustainable and green technologies.
A combination of sustainable systems has been integrated into the design of the facility that will be incorporated into the curriculum. The building will serve as a learning laboratory for students in industrial technology fields.
The Career Technology Center will be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Standards and feature state-of-the-art lab space, a geothermal system, green roof, Industrial Technology Division and faculty offices, a computer classroom and labs for all of the following areas: automation, automotive, construction, electronics, manufacturing, materials, mechanical design, metrology, renewable energy, nuclear energy and welding.
"This facility is all about tomorrow and all those students whose lives will be enriched," Nixon said. "It's good for Monroe County families, good for businesses and good for the community's well-being."
The state of Michigan will finance half the cost of construction. The college has committed to fund the other half through existing funds and a capital campaign in support of the facility.
More information on the Career Technology Center at MCCC, including ways to support the new facility, is available www.monroeccc.edu/ctc.
