For more than 20 years, North Lake College and the Construction Education Foundation (CEF) have partnered to offer hands-on training for the construction industry, providing students and employees opportunities to broaden their skills and advance their careers in the construction industry. Now, in response to a growing industry need for trained labor, a new state-of-the-art 97,000-square-foot facility is in the works.
Earning a Silver LEED certification, the new North Lake College Construction Sciences Building will include interactive, high-tech laboratories and classrooms to support education in the latest construction technologies, systems and methods. Featuring 30 classrooms and 11 laboratories across its two floors, the new building is designed with designated areas for in-progress building construction, sheet metal fabrication, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, welding and pipefitting. Additionally, shared labs are being built for soils, fire protection, sprinkler fitting, back flow prevention, medical gases and safety classes. With a focus on active learning and high-quality teaching demonstrations, the Construction Sciences Building also features a covered exterior lab space for outdoor equipment use, mock-ups and assembly installations in various conditions and temperatures.
“It’s amazing what this new building will do for our industry,” said Rusty Vaughn, Project Capital Campaign Co-Chair and Vice President of Business Development at Texas AirSystems. “I feel very blessed to be a part of CEF and the role we’re playing in this project. Construction education matters.”
According to research conducted by CEF, by 2031, 41 percent of the current construction workforce will be retired by the year 2031, and by just 2020, the industry will be in a 1.4 million craft professionals shortage.
“The institution of this building will increase access to development opportunities in our region and help us bridge those gaps in the hiring process and need for skilled labor in the years to come,” said Vaughn.
The Construction Sciences Building is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2020. For more information on CEF or the new Construction Science Building at North Lake College, visit https://www.ntcef.org or contact Jane Hanna at jane@ntcef.org.
About CEF:
The Construction Education Foundation (CEF) was officially founded in 1996 through an alliance of North Texas boards and chapters in the construction industry. It is patterned after the National Center for Construction Education and Research. The purpose of CEF is to provide the construction industry with the most qualified and technically trained people, from Craft Workers to the Supervisory level. CEF also provides the entire construction community with a funding mechanism to meet the needs of contractors and owners. Today, our craft training program has expanded to locations from Fort Worth to East Dallas, and as far east as Tyler, Texas.
To learn more about the mission and vision of CEF, visit: www.ntcef.org or call 972.574.5200.
