For 15 months, a strict dress code was required to hang out in Lethbridge College’s newest building.
That dress code wasn’t black tie or the creative fabrications of the college’s Fashion Design and Sustainable Production students, however. Rather, visitors to the new facility on the south side of campus needed to get fully decked out in hard hats, steel-toed boots, bright orange vests and protective eyewear as they took guided tours of a facility that would house programs in the Crooks School of Transportation.
That safety-first dress code was set aside in late August, when classes started for a new group of apprentices and the doors to the first phase of the new trades and technologies facility opened to the public. The building will officially open on Sept. 30 at a special celebration that will give guests a chance to kick some tires, rev a few engines and witness the power of the automotives programming at Lethbridge College.
“Our students are at the core of this new building we’re constructing ,” said Lethbridge College President and CEO Dr. Paula Burns at the groundbreaking in April 2014. “All of our work is focused on increasing their access to post-secondary education and to provide an opportunity to those who want to build their futures. Our students are looking to the solid reputation of Lethbridge College to ignite their passion for a career that will showcase their strengths and talents. This new trades and technologies facility will provide the innovative and flexible space for our students to grow and learn as individuals and teams of learners alongside leaders in their industries.”
When the project is complete in 2017, students in eight skills trades and four technologies programs will benefit from learning at what will be the largest trades and technologies training facility south of Calgary. The new facility will measure more than 15,000 square metres, providing nearly three football fields’ worth of space. It will accommodate an additional 880 students, increasing overall capacity to 2,300 students who will get hands-on experience in skilled trades, as well as in existing and emerging technologies.
The new trades and technologies facility will house Electrical, Welding, Agricultural Equipment, Automotive Service, Parts and Heavy Equipment skilled apprentices as well as Wind Turbine Technology, Engineering Design, Interior Design, Geomatics and Civil Engineering students. All of these fields are linked to careers that are in high demand in the region, province and country.
The building itself has been thoughtfully designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects in association with Sahuri + Partners Architecture with function, flexibility and sustainability considered in all decisions. Stuart Olson Dominion has served as construction manager for the duration of the project.
“So many have given their support to this project – government, individuals, students, staff and industry partners – and the effects of their generosity will ripple out through Lethbridge and beyond for generations to come,” said Randy Jespersen (Business Administration 1973), Chair of the Lethbridge College Board of Governors, at the groundbreaking. “The students who walk into these doors will be hired by companies needing their skills – and one day, perhaps, become leaders of their own industries.”
For more information about the new facility or its official opening, go to lethbridgecollege.ca/ttrip.
