Construction has begun on the $61 million Advanced Manufacturing Center on the Florissant Valley campus of St. Louis Community College that officials say will prepare students to excel in the high-tech skills required to make various products.

Students will receive hands-on training in state-of-the-art labs, preparing them for careers in manufacturing, engineering, technology and technical trades, said Jeff Pittman, chancellor of St. Louis Community College. The three-level, 96,000-square-foot building will feature flexible learning, training and equipment spaces that can be converted to meet the needs of local industry, Pittman said.

Construction began Aug. 7 and should be completed in December 2024, for use starting in early 2025. About 100 community college, business people and elected officials attended a ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony Friday. The architect is JEMA, the construction manager is NAVIGATE Building Solutions and the contractor is Kadean Construction.
Advanced manufacturing is the use of innovative technologies, tools and processes to make current and future products. Examples include robots and automation, high-performance computing and 3D printing.
The Advanced Manufacturing Center is among six construction projects under way or planned at the community college system’s four campuses. Dubbed STLCC Transformed, the projects are being funded from voter approval in 2021 of Proposition R, a property tax levy with a goal of modernizing facilities to meet today’s regional workforce, job training and retraining demands, the college has said.
The new building will enable The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) to expand its 15-year-old Pre-Employment training program with STLCC that provides the aerospace giant with a pipeline for future hiring. The program trains candidates to work as aircraft assembly mechanics. Boeing has hired 1,214 program participants as of last month.