Construction on a new $25 million career center on Southeast Community College’s Lincoln Campus will begin soon, thanks to Tuesday’s passage of a $153 million bond issue requested by Lincoln Public Schools.
The career center has been in the planning stages for more than a year. Officials from SCC and LPS traveled to select communities across the country to determine a preliminary concept, held numerous meetings to help determine career areas, then discussed design plans with an architect.
Dr. Jack Huck, SCC president, said the center’s options will engage students earlier in the career exploration process.
“This is an exciting project on so many levels,” Huck said. “High school students throughout our service area will have the opportunity to explore several career pathways, and they will be able to earn high school and college credit at the same time. Exposing students to possible future careers, while at the same time introducing college-level coursework, will serve them well.”
Broad fields that will be part of the center are agriculture, food and natural resources; business, marking/management and entrepreneurship; communication and information technology; health sciences; human sciences and education; and skilled and technical sciences.
Clusters within the broad field areas are bio-science technology; food processing and technology; financial services; business, marketing/management and entrepreneurship; programming, database and networking; health; culinary, K-12 education and early childhood education; and manufacturing, welding, engineering, construction trades, and automotive technology.
Preliminary plans are to accommodate school districts throughout SCC’s 15-county service area who wish to use the facility. Those plans will be finalized at a later date.
The plan is to hold morning and afternoon classes in the center, but that could expand to include evening and possibly weekend classes, Huck said.
The two-story center, with approximately 125,000 square feet, will be attached to the south side of SCC’s existing Lincoln Campus building at 8800 O St.