Suffolk County Community College Unveils New Green Workforce Development and Technology Center
Suffolk County Community College celebrated the grand opening of their new Workforce Development and Technology Center located on the Michael J. Grant Campus in Brentwood.

 

The 18,000 square-foot building has been designed to meet “Gold” LEED certification. Created by the U.S. Green Building Council, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), sets construction standards for energy efficiency, sparing water usage, and other healthful and nonpolluting attributes. LEED certification is only awarded to the top 25 percent of environmentally responsible buildings. The construction of the new Workforce Development and Technology Center has been made possible through funding from Suffolk County and New York State.

The Workforce Development and Technology Center will include state-of-the-art laboratories, classrooms and office space. The laboratories will be dedicated for use with Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC/R) and a new Manufacturing Technology associate’s degree (A.A.S.) program. Equipment specific training for welding and machining will also occur under a federal grant called TEAM (Technical Education in Advanced Manufacturing) and a variety of renewable energy programs will also be offered in the building – including solar, geothermal and weatherization training.
The HVAC/R program will allow students to be trained in today’s newest, most energy-efficient technologies and will also provide regional HVAC/R workers the opportunity to upgrade and enhance their skills. On Long Island, there is a growing demand for HVAC/R workers and, in fact, many students in the program are gaining employment before they even complete the training.

SCCC’s new Manufacturing Technology program will afford graduates opportunities for employment in industries that include precision metalwork, computer numeric control (CNC), machining, computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and quality control and lean manufacturing.

Through a partnership with the Oil Heat Comfort Corporation (OHCC), the Workforce Development and Technology Building will also be utilized by incumbent oil technicians and HVAC/R professionals to provide continuing education about today’s latest energy-efficient technologies and practices. In all, the new building will house more than 120 credit and non-credit Suffolk students and more than 300 students through the OHCC partnership.

The grand opening celebration included Dr. Nancy L. Zimpher, Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, and a broad spectrum of elected officials and regional business leaders. Chancellor Zimpher’s visit to SCCC is part of her tour of all 64 SUNY campuses, which is the first step in the creation a strategic plan for the SUNY system.