Gov. Wolf Unveils Plans For Workforce Training Center At CCAC

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Gov. Tom Wolf was in town Tuesday to announce a new program aimed at helping trade workers get the skills they need for some in-demand jobs.

The governor unveiled $10 million in state funding for a new CCAC Workforce Training Center, and new addition to the North Side campus.

"When I was starting to run for governor a few years ago, the big question out here was, 'How can we get more jobs?' The question is no longer that here in Pennsylvania. It's 'Where can we get skills?'" Gov. Wolf said.

The governor says the region's economy is growing. But at the same time, thousands of Baby Boomers are set to retire.

"If we don't have students who are ready to take the jobs that we need them to take, our economy is not going to move forward," said Gov. Wolf.

The new Workforce Training Center will include classrooms and labs for programs like culinary arts and cybersecurity. It will also help CCAC launch a new program in autonomous technology.

"Years ago, I go back a generation, you probably couldn't meet anybody in Pittsburgh who didn't know somebody who worked in a steel mill or had a family member that worked in a steel mill. That's changed," said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.

To meet those changes, CCAC is planning to raise $10 million of its own to build the new center.

"Ninety-five percent of graduates of CCAC stay here in Allegheny County. So this is an investment in Allegheny County and its citizens," said Frederick Thieman, the chairman of the CCAC Board of Trustees.

The college is planning to break ground on existing land late next year.