On Tuesday, April 23, at 2:30 p.m., Waubonsee Community College will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Technical Education Center (TEC) at the south end of the Sugar Grove Campus. The public is invited to attend.
“This groundbreaking ceremony represents a significant milestone for the college,” Waubonsee President Dr. Brian Knetl said in a new release announcing the event. “The building we’re constructing is a clear demonstration of Waubonsee’s commitment to providing students with the latest technology, hands-on experience, and training to prepare them for high-skill, high-demand, and high-wage careers in Illinois and beyond,” he said.
According to the press announcement, Waubonsee’s auto body repair, automotive technology, and welding technology programs will be housed in the 100,000-square-foot building when it is finished in the fall of 2025. According to the statement, plans call for bigger, specialized labs with advanced equipment to boost enrollment and enable further program expansion in diesel technology, electric vehicles, robotic welding, and welding fabrication.
Associate Professor of Automotive Technology Guy Tiberio said in the announcement, “What excites me about the new building is having a functional shop that will allow us to train students in the way that they’re going to be expected to work in the field today.”
The TEC will be situated next to the Sugar Grove Campus’s south entrance, which is accessible from Route 47, and is anticipated to cost $60 million. According to the announcement, it will serve as a hub for collaboration and advance economic growth in the area by solving the significant labor shortage in these fields, despite increasing demand.
Waubonsee was selected recently to compete in the Mopar® Career Automotive Program as one of sixteen schools. According to WCC, the competition’s major goal is to draw attention to the severe lack of automotive mechanics in the real world while educating students for entry into the field. It consists of technical and curriculum-based bracket “knockout”-style challenges.
