Construction on the $25 million expansion of Cape Coral Technical College is reaching its final stage, with the building scheduled for completion Wednesday, July 1.
The project will introduce the city’s first post-secondary blue-collar industrial arts training programs, filling a long-standing gap in the local workforce pipeline.
Students are expected to begin classes later in July and August.
When will the new programs begin?
After construction wraps up in early July, the college will open its doors to the first cohorts of students. The Marine and HVAC programs begin in late July, and the other three new programs — Building Construction Technologies, Master Automotive Service and Welding — will align with the Lee County School District’s K-12 calendar, starting in early August.
Charlie Pease, director of Cape Coral Technical College, said public interest in these trades was immediate. “Three of the five programs have filled with a very strong waiting list, and so there’s a clear demand,” he said.
From left, Stephanie Vilfort, a student in the dental assisting program at Cape Coral Technical College practices cleaning skills on classmate Grace Provenzano under the guidance of instructor Chris Weygant Wednesday morning, March 16, 2022. Cape Coral Technical College is planning to expand its curriculum in an effort to bring more blue collar programs to the school.
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What does the new facility look like inside?
The 30,000-square-foot expansion sits as a storefront on Santa Barbara Boulevard where the Hector A. Cafferata Jr. Elementary campus stood before it was destroyed during Hurricane Ian in 2022. The new structure is connected to the original 1993 college building through a covered walkway and an outdoor courtyard space.
The interior currently consists of “empty shells” as the school prepares to install industrial-grade equipment, but the layout is finalized. Pease described the Automotive Service lab as designed in a dealership style, featuring a large roll gate and angled lifts. Each lab is connected to a classroom by a large window and has Promethean panels for digital and hands-on instruction.
Cape Coral resident Celso Machado, pursuing a master in barbering program, cleans his tools after class Wednesday morning, March 16, 2022. Cape Coral Technical College is planning to expand its curriculum in an effort to bring more blue collar programs to the school.
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Why is this project significant for Southwest Florida?
For over three decades, Cape Coral Technical College focused on healthcare, business and hospitality. The extension will now offer industrial trades.
“It’s hard to believe that we have almost 250,000 residents here in Cape Coral, and there is not a single post-secondary trades training or vocational training center for the blue-collar trades in Cape Coral,” Pease said during a Catch the Vision event held in Cape Coral in March.
Pease said he believes the expansion will directly address the local skills gap by providing candidates who are ready to work immediately after graduation.
“The general benefit is simply that people are constantly looking for good employees who have those technical and soft skills,” Pease said. “It (the program) proves to them that this student or that this potential employee is somebody who already has credentials.”
The $25 million expansion of Cape Coral Technical College is on track for completion July 1, 2026, adding 30,000 square feet of industrial arts training space to the campus on Santa Barbara Boulevard, the former site of Hector A. Cafferata Jr. Elementary.
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How is the $25 million expansion being funded?
The project was made possible through a combination of state and local funding. The School District of Lee County used the half-cent sales tax for a portion of the construction costs. The college also secured about $3.5 million in special appropriations through the state Legislature.
Pease noted that these industrial programs are notoriously expensive to launch due to the cost of specialized equipment, such as student welders, wheel alignment systems and heavy-duty lifts. He said he credits the timing of the construction boom and Southwest Florida’s rapid growth for creating the momentum needed to secure funding.
Cape Coral Tech prepares students for the future
The college operates on a “career in a year” model, with most programs lasting between 10 and 12 months. The school is held to accreditation standards regarding student outcomes. The school maintains a completion rate of nearly 90% for students who remain past the initial drop-add period, Pease said.
The placement rate for those who finish their programs is even higher, often reaching 93% or 94% within six months of graduation. To maintain this, every program is required to have an occupational advisory board composed of industry experts who review the curriculum and equipment.
“We want to engage with our local industry department. We want to make sure that we’re training students with the right skills to get them prepared for the future,” Pease said. “We don’t want to prepare them for the past. We want to prepare them in the future.”
To learn more about application information and program details, visit capecoraltech.edu.
Mickenzie Hannon is a watchdog reporter for The News-Press and Naples Daily News, covering Collier and Lee counties. Contact her at 239-435-3423 or mhannon@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Cape Coral Technical College expansion adds skilled-trades training