Expansion Begins at Tri-C’s Advanced Automotive Technology Center

Sept. 25 groundbreaking ceremony marks start of project at Western Campus

Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C^®) will rev up its automotive technician training program with an expansion of the Advanced Automotive Technology Center at Western Campus.

The 13,300-square-foot addition will feature lab space with 10 automobile lifts, offering more opportunity for hands-on training. The space will also include additional classrooms, a conference room and a student lounge.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the $7 million project will take place at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25. Construction is expected to be complete by next summer.

“The expansion provides room to grow for an in-demand program that trains and connects students to high-paying jobs,” said Alex Johnson, president of Tri-C. “The Advanced Automotive Technology Center represents an investment in the workforce of tomorrow in Northeast Ohio.”

Tri-C’s Automotive Technology program has reported growth in enrollment and graduation and job placement rates over the past several years. Graduates earn an Associate of Applied Science degree.

The College’s center hosts two corporate programs — Ford’s Automotive Student Service Educational Training (ASSET) and the General Motors Automotive Service Educational Program (GM ASEP) — that link students to jobs with the auto industry giants.

Voter approval of Tri-C’s bond issue request in November made the project possible. Approval of Issue 61 raised $227.5 million for the College to create new instructional space, keep pace with changing technology and address decades of wear and tear on buildings.

The Automotive Technology Center expansion adds to the list of Tri-C projects launched this year, including two others at Western Campus — the new STEM Center and Simulation Village, part of the KeyBank Public Safety Training Center.

Projects at other campuses include the new Westshore Campus Center in Westlake and an expansion of the Advanced Technology Training Center in Cleveland.

To keep track of progress on Tri-C projects, visit www.tri-c.edu/ConstructionUpdates.

September 20, 2018

John Horton, 216-987-4281 john.horton@tri-c.edu