At a time, perhaps, when tangible signs of real progress are most needed, there was plenty to celebrate last Friday afternoon.
TM: This is the day we’ve been waiting on, K? This is awesome!
Dr. Timothy Moore is the president of Indian River State College. He recently took over from Dr. Edwin Massey, who served for the college for 47 years.
On Friday, Moore and Massey gathered with government officials, manufacturing industry leaders, and supporters to break a small patch ground on the southeast side of the College’s Massey Campus in Fort Pierce. It will soon house the new Advanced Workforce Training Complex, a 50,000 square foot advanced technology and manufacturing training center.
TM: I’m glad you’re here.
We ask Dr. Moore what this means for the Treasure Coast.
TM: Oh my goodness! This is 15 years of planning coming from Dr. Massey’s era to where we find ourselves today, number one. Number two, we get take our vocational arts and vocational education programs out of some very old, antiquated structures into the new modern era. And the other part that really excites me is the ability to take our agile manufacturing capabilities and use that as a leverage point to be able to push out new industries, new small businesses, new high technology business both from an entrepreneurial training standpoint as well as parts manufacturing standpoint.
Up walks Gayle Harrell of the Florida Senate, District 25, representing Martin and St. Lucie counties and part of Palm Beach county.
TM: Hey Senator how are you maam? Good to see you! Thank you for bringing your vibrant self here!
GH: Good to see you – I’m so excited about today!
GH: I’m delighted to be here. it is so exciting. We have worked on this for years! And we’re about halfway there on the money, this is the beginning but at least to start moving forward.
Next, we meet Toby Overdorf of the Florida State House of Representatives, District 3, which includes parts of Martin and St. Lucie counties.
TO: It’s a fantastic day for not only for Indian River State College but also for the entire Treasure Coast region in that, here’s a facility that will have the opportunity to be able to train so many of our young folks, and bringing them through, so many of our veterans as well as we re-train them as they transition out of the military life.
Here he is addressing the group:
TO: We looked at all the training facilities and the training opportunities across our state, there’s an area that there’s a huge gap. And that is right here. Well, that gap is no more! So many of our industry partners are here right now that are going to be hiring those folks that are going to be coming out of this building.
Next, we speak to Dr. Massey. He’s just broken ground on a small patch of fresh dirt with a brand-new shovel.
EM: Nice to be turning dirt and getting the building started. We worked a long time on it.
Next to him is the man in charge of constructing the new building, Don Proctor of Proctor Construction.
DP: Very grateful to be involved with it, over time and with the College in particular for many years. It’s good to see this happen and we need it badly.
Finally, we meet Ken Pruitt, who represented the Treasure Coast in both the Florida Senate and Florida House of Representatives and was the 78th President of the Florida Senate.
KP: This is what’s going to be the beginning of a work force initiative that will touch every life on the Treasure Coast. These are the training for the real jobs that are out there. As we see manufacturing coming back to this country, growing in the state of Florida, and also this new world that we’re living in, of the COVID world, they’re going to be able to be there to meet the challenge.
Learn more here: https://www.irsc.edu/news/articles/advanced-workforce-training-groundbreaking.html