Career Tech

Educators break ground on a career and technical education center for Lee County schools.

Educators break ground on a career and technical education center for lee county schools.

Allie martin tells us about the project and how its location can help build bridges between education and industry.

Planning to get the career and technical education center under one roof for lee county schools has been going on for years.

Now, work has started on the project.

Nats ground breaking the new facility means students won't have to travel to other districts for cte classes.

The 34 thousand 500 square foot building will have separate spaces for shop classes, classrooms, and a culinary program.

It is centrally located from the district's three high schools and is in the hive industrial park.

That community development foundation project is targeting advanced manufacturing industries to the site.

"once these industries start coming in they can use our facilities for training, come in and work with our students and maybe provide opportunity for our students to get hands-on training in their industries."

Lee county schools superintendent coke magee believes having a dedicated cte center prepares students for the ever-changing and competitive workforce in the region.

"northeast mississippi provides tremendous opportunity for our students, we need to prepare them for job skills training they need, if they want to continue job skills training at icc or another technical school, we want to train them to go there, but if it's the workforce, we want to make sure they're ready, that's part of our mission."

The seven million dollar project is funded primarily through a bond issue voters approved earlier this year.

The state and county also chipped in.

District 16 state representative rickey thompson says the building will train students and keep them in the area's workforce.

"this is how we make sure we have a stable community, this makes sure we have economic empowerment that when you stay in the community, you survive and do better for your family."

Construction should take about a year.

In lee county, allie martin, wcbi news the career and technical education center is the first building in the hive industrial park.