PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Community College of Philadelphia is building a new career and tech center in West Philadelphia, with a focus on preparing students for careers in automobile service.
Renderings of CCP’s new center alongside the El at 48th and Market streets show what looks like a futuristic garage, with shiny bays where students can learn automotive technology.
Plans call for the center to include transportation technology classrooms and labs where students can earn credentials from major auto manufacturers, as well as programs in alternative fuels and heavy truck technology.
At Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the $34 million project, CCP board chair Jeremiah White said the facility would provide career training and industry certifications for students.
“It’s for people who are in the workforce who need to upgrade their skills,” White said. “It’s for people who have lost their jobs and need to get another skill so they can get back in the workforce.”
The center would serve as the main teaching location for the school’s Transportation, Advanced Manufacturing and Health Care programs.
White said it’s also a way to support the community. “What this is, is an equitable investment in the low income and poor people in the city of Philadelphia,” he declared.
Classes are expected to begin at the center in the spring of 2022.