San Bernardino Valley College’s new two-story, state-of-the-art building is getting students ready for high-demand careers in technical fields.
“It’s a space of innovation and prepares our students for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” San Bernardino Valley College President Gilbert Contreras said Thursday, March 6, as officials celebrated its grand opening.
The $101 million facility houses 50 classrooms, labs and hands-on training spaces, serving up to 2,528 students and staff.
The 114,897-square-foot building is designed for students in career technical education programs. Open since Jan. 21, the workforce training-hub offers hands-on learning in fields such as automotive, solar, water technology, electricity, industrial automation, electric vehicles and other technical industries.
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Anyone interested in taking courses in the Applied Technology Building can do so after enrolling at the college, spokesperson Angel Rodriguez said.
“With careers in advancing technologies like the auto industry, we now have a space where you can come and learn in person how to work,” said Carlos Aguilera, a San Bernardino Community College District board member.
The building will help the college shift along with the changing nature of the workforce and the growing demand for jobs in technology.
“It’s not like the old days where you stay in one job for 20 to 30 years,” Aguilera said. “Now you can learn new skills in evolving industries like the auto industry.”
A similar $4.1 million job training center is expected to be added to the San Bernardino Community College District in the next four years. It will offer indoor and outdoor training spaces for industry jobs such as manufacturing, construction, office skills and other programs at a district site on Del Rosa Drive in San Bernardino.
Jazmin Jaime, an automotive instructor at the college, on Thursday welcomed the new space.
“Before, we were spread out across different buildings,” she said. “Now, we are all under one roof, which improves collaboration among instructors and students.”
The new facility replaces the outdated technology building, originally constructed in 1965, the college’s website states.
This new building set the stage for a big moment Thursday.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Contreras said on stage: “Now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for.”
Confetti cannons erupted with blue and white streamers after the ribbon was cut, as city officials, college board members, faculty members and students celebrated the grand opening.
During the event, students enrolled in evening courses participated in hands-on labs.
In one class, an introduction to hybrid and electric vehicles, students were testing batteries alongside their instructors.
Guests took self-guided tours, exploring the building’s spacious blue and gray classrooms and labs, which include a solar-powered deck and canopy.
“People that graduate here are gonna enter the field with a strong background,” said Vance Reeves, a Valley College alum who graduated in 2016.
“It matches today’s time so people can come in here, get fresh knowledge, and really work for tomorrow,” Reeves said.
Much of the building’s funding comes from Measure CC, a ballot measure voters passed in 2018 to generate $470 million for upgrading classrooms and job training facilities in the district, the college’s website states.
The building’s estimated $95 million price tag includes $33.7 million from state contributions, the college’s website states.
“We want the community to see where taxpayer money is going and how it is creating opportunities for students to learn new skills,” Aguilera said.
Since the spring semester began, the training hub has been serving students.
Courses are available in the morning, midday and evening to accommodate those with full-time jobs, Rodriguez said.
Students can earn industry-recognized certifications in under a year, completing training in about six months or less, depending on the course, Rodriguez added.
Jaime teaches groups of about 20 students in the new facility.
“I teach from scratch, a lot of students when they first come have an interest but no background yet,” Jaime said.
Her classes start by discussing electrical theory and atom theory, then progress to students building circuits and making connections to observe how currents behave.
“I teach where I can provide them with a good head start and build their confidence so they’re not second guessing themselves because they’re learning it the right way and they’re having enough time in class to practice, practice, practice,” she added.
The facility houses labs for career technical education programs, including:
- Automotive technology (traditional, hybrid and EV)
- Solar technology
- Heavy duty/medium trucks (training in brakes and suspension and computer-controlled engines, with a focus on electrical and heavy-duty maintenance)
- Heating, ventilation and air conditioning and refrigeration
- Computer numerical control machining
- Water technology (technical classes in water distribution, water treatment, wastewater collection, and treatment)
- Electricity and electronics
- Industrial automation
“It’s a real beauty that has come full circle, it really represents what community college means to a community where the public and the taxpayers have invested in the college for the future of our students,” Contreras said.
