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Community college opens $9.9M Center for Advanced Technologies

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A big new building meant to help mold a workforce for the future was celebrated during a "ribbon cutting" ceremony Thursday at Bucks County Community College's Gene & Marlene Epstein Lower Bucks campus in Bristol Township.

Five years in the works, the new 28,000-square-foot $9.9 million Center for Advanced Technologies actually opened for some programs soon after Labor Day, but Thursday was a chance for many to tour the facility and get a feel for all it has to offer. More than 100 people turned out, including many BCCC officials, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, state Senator Steve Santarsiero, state Rep. Tina Davis, Bucks County Commissioners Robert Harvie and Diane Ellis-Marseglia and others.

The CAT is an "investment in the future of the workforce and financial health of the Bucks County region," read a statement from the college. "It will offer manufacturing and industrial skills courses with a focus on professional development for incumbent workers and workforce training programs for job seekers."

While the new building at the Lower Bucks campus just off Veterans Highway will have some regular BCCC courses, it is not intended as a home for the college's associate degree programs but instead to offer courses — mostly 10 or 12 weeks — to quickly train people for in-demand jobs, said Susan Herring, executive director of the BCCC Center for Workforce Development. She added that she and other officials will constantly seek grants and other funding to make the programs available at no cost, or for as little cost as possible to as many people as possible.

Among the available programs are building and construction trades pre-apprenticeship; commercial driving; industrial maintenance pre-apprenticeship; locomotive engineer and conductor; metalwork pre-apprenticeship; welding; dental assistant; pharmacy technician; Microsoft Office and bookkeeping with QuickBooks. Coming soon will be a heating, ventilation and air conditioning program.

"Nothing just happens, and this building is a testament to a lot of effort by a lot of people," college Board of Trustees Chairman Tom Jennings said. "This day is about promise and performance and enhancing the life of our community."

Fitzpatrick said the needs of the workplace are constantly changing and evolving and that the new CAT is meant to meet that dynamic.

"We need to migrate away from this cookie-cutter view of education and produce a workforce that can fill jobs and meet the needs of U.S. business and manufacturing for years to come," he said. "These are the jobs and careers of the future."

Penn Community Bank was lauded for its recent $140,000 donation to support scholarship and workforce development programs. In a gesture appropriate for the theme of the day, advanced technology, BCCC President Felicia L. Ganther didn't do the traditional ribbon cutting with giant scissors, but instead used a special power saw to cut through a metal rod.

For more information, visit bucks.edu/CAT.


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