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Education
Higher Ed Goes High-Tech
Henderson Community College has big plans for a new tech center
Soon, students at Henderson Community College looking for a technological edge will find it in the Tri-County Technology Center.What do robotics, injection molding, network administration, and fertilizer application have in common? Not much, except for the fact that each career discipline requires customized training in a high-tech environment.
The idea to bring this type of education to Henderson Community College has been in the works for more than 15 years, according to college president Dr. Patrick R. Lake. In 2005, the state granted $13.1 million to make the Henderson Community College Tri-County Technology Center a highly anticipated reality.
“This has long been one of the priorities of community leaders to get state funding for this,” Lake says. “In the three-county area that we serve – Henderson, Union and Webster counties – a lot of people needed this technical training but had to go elsewhere to get it.”
In 1993, the Henderson Economic Development Council recognized this need and assembled a task force made up of public officials, educators and local business and industry leaders to launch the project. Securing the funding took longer than anticipated, but “good things come to those who wait,” Lake says. The 55,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to open in January 2008.
Until then, some of the services are being hosted in interim facilities. For example, the Industrial Maintenance Technology program has already made inroads with area industries, says Randy Owens, program coordinator. Many local companies sponsor their employees’ training in areas such as welding, machine tool, hydraulics, and digital electronics, “Manufacturing technicians are one of the top jobs in the nation,” Owens says. “The new tech center will be equipped with cutting-edge training modules that will equip our students with the latest technology in manufacturing.”
The IMT program will occupy a large space in the new facility, as will the customized training programs for agricultural technology, information technology and health care. In these disciplines, Lake says, students can learn both hands-on “hard skills” and classroom “soft skills,” all while earning college credit and job-skills certifications.
Remaining space will include the Student Success Center for adult basic education and GED training, assessment services, and the Career Connections Center – a comprehensive one-stop career center authorized by the Workforce Investment Board.
“We want to follow through with this project,” Lake says. “This building will make a real difference in our capabilities to serve our employers and the people in our workforce.”
Story by Emily Lansdell
Photo by Antony Boshier
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