Southeast Community College (SCC) will cut the ribbon tomorrow on its new Welding Technology Center, pitched as the largest community college welding training facility in the nation.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for Thursday, Aug. 21, at 11:30 a.m. on SCC’s Lincoln campus at 8800 “O” St. The event will feature remarks from SCC President Dr. Paul Illich, Gov. Jim Pillen, Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, Rep. Mike Flood, and Michael Krupnicki, past president of the American Welding Society. Tours and demonstrations will follow at noon.
The $33 million, nearly 100,000-square-foot facility features 196 individual welding booths, more than double the number in SCC’s previous Lincoln space and the most of any single college campus in the nation. It also includes an 11,000-square-foot fabrication lab, a 4,500-square-foot industry training area, and specialized bays designed for truck deliveries and large-scale fabrication projects.
“This building is not only going to change our students’ lives, but it is going to have an impact on our industry partners and employers as we look for innovative ways to meet their needs,” Illich said.
Mark Hawkins, SCC welding program chair, said the added space will allow SCC to train twice as many students while also providing customized training for local businesses. “We’ve had to turn away future students because we didn’t have the space,” Hawkins said. “This new facility will provide the opportunity for more students.”
SCC has offered welding programs since 1940 in Milford and 1975 in Lincoln, producing more than 1,800 graduates with welding degrees and training more than 20,000 students in welding coursework overall. In addition to the new center, SCC offers welding training through The Career Academy, dual-credit high school programs, and its campuses in Milford and Beatrice.
The new space was developed in consultation with local industries to meet Nebraska’s workforce needs. Equipment donations from international manufacturers, including the Austrian photovoltaic manufacturer Fronius, mean SCC students will train on some of the most cutting edge technology available.