San Bernardino Valley College breaks ground on Applied Tech Building in a big way

On Friday, April 8th, San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) broke ground on its forthcoming Applied Tech Building with dozens of dignitaries, school officials, and the San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD) Board of Trustees.

At the ceremony, it was said that San Bernardino Valley College’s plan is to grow opportunities for people across the Inland Empire, which includes modernizing its almost 60-year-old Applied Technology Building into a 21st century LEED Gold-certified workforce training hub.

The 108,000-square-foot building is said to prepare students for excellent paying careers in the ever-growing electric automotive repair, water technology, modern machining, and HVAC technological industries.

“By modernizing this Applied Technology Building, it moves our communities closer to our shared vision of utilizing clean energy. It’s an investment, and these students and faculty deserve this technology,” said Congressman Pete Aguilar. “I applaud the collaboration between faculty, staff, and the SBCCD Board of Trustees for building out the success of a tech workforce to ensure good-paying jobs for our region.”

Back in 2019, Senator Connie Leyva and Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes (who is an SBVC alumnus), secured $35 million in state funds for the building, both of whom were in attendance.

“I’m so pleased to be here with you all today. A few years ago, I toured the building to see what the students learn and create in Applied Technology and the professors are really preparing them with theory and hands-on experience, landing them good-paying jobs in our region. This is a great victory for San Bernardino,” said Reyes.

Leyva also shared a sentiment regarding the forthcoming building strengthening career prospects for students in the county, also joking that she crashed when she flew the program’s flight simulator but learned a lot when touring the building.

To learn more about the Applied Technology, Transportation, & Culinary Arts Department, visit https://bit.ly/3JqTQm9.