KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — A new career center campus aims to make it easier for Kalamazoo County teens to get hands-on experience in high-demand careers.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday afternoon marked the new chapter of the Kalamazoo Regional Education Service Agency Career Connect Campus.
KRESA leaders said the 162,000-square-foot facility on Vanrick Drive next to Wings Event Center will bring together technical training that was once spread out across the county.
“Right now, if you want to take advance manufacturing, you have to travel to Vicksburg. If you are student at Gull Lake or Parchment for instance, that’s a long commitment, that’s a long drive to get there in the course of a school day,” Eric Stewart, assistant superintendent of Career Connect, said.
The campus houses labs for more than 20 programs. During planning, the campus took notes from teachers and 240 industry partners. Stewart said that helps ensure what is taught in the labs meets what employers need.
“They help shape curriculum. They select the equipment that you see in this facility now. Why is that? Because they wanted to mimic their place of work as close as possible. So our commitment of what we are doing here is current with tends and it is actually looking forward,” he said.
That, in turn, helps companies look within the community for their next pool of candidates.
“First of all, we want students to stay in Kalamazoo after their education, right? So we want to know that they will have the opportunity here. And I would say it’s about equally important for economic prosperity in the region. We hear more from employers than we hear from students that ‘We need those kids. We need those kids so we can stay here in Southwest Michigan, grow and meet all of our customers’ demands,'” Stewart said.
The first floor of the facility includes the welding and automotive technology labs. There is also a location for manufacturing, networking and information technology, veterinary sciences, supply chain, construction trades and horticulture.
A culinary arts kitchen is staffed by a chef who owned an establishment in Texas Township. Stewart said the Career Connect Campus team worked to bring in people with real world experience to the classroom.
“We took the time to teach them how to be teachers over the last year, opposed to hiring teachers and teaching them about business and industry,” he said.
The second floor has classroom space for teaching, mechatronics, design, cybersecurity and computer programing. Hands-on experience is also offered in health sciences, with a patient care lab designed with exam rooms, labs and physical therapy area.
The first classes will bring in an expected 1,400 students in late August. About 150 students are on the waitlist for the health sciences program alone.
“The labor market only demands a certain number of certified students per year. So we try to stay in line with that industry’s need. But students want in this program. They want in in the culinary arts program. They want in in the automotive tech program. These are our most popular,” Stewart said.
Stewart said a campus like this couldn’t have happened without voters approving a millage in 2019. Those funds were combined with $100 million from donors and the greater Kalamazoo area.
“The heart here of this community is amazing and we can’t be more thankful for all of our partners,” Stewart said.
More information about the career center can be found on its website.
