MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - With two- and four-year college programs costing more every year while access to some programs continues to get tougher, it may be trade school that fits the needs of the next generation of students.
Macomb County Community College is hoping to capitalize on that need with it's newly imagined and newly reopened technology center.
The state-of-the-art Skilled Trade and Advanced Technology Center is a transformed version of its former self. It was introduced into the community college world Friday by Michigan's lieutenant governor.
"Macomb has a particular identity that this project and the culmination of this project really illustrates," said Garlin Gilchrist.
"We knew a renovation was in order," said Katherine Lorenzo, chair of the Macomb Community College Board of Trustees. "It will also ensure that we will be able to continue to train the highly skilled talent that’s critical to the success of our region's automotive and defense sectors."
The growing need for young recruits will hopefully be matched by an interested generation eager to get into the workforce - particularly in advanced manufacturing, technology, and trade work where demand for applicants is high.
The $40 million project was built with $15 million from the state.
"If you can imagine something and you can create something then you can create anything. The students who walk through these halls, who use these machines, who learn from these skilled instructors - these are the kind of people who inspire creative minds," said Gilchrist.