The ribbon was cut Wednesday at a new Regional Center for Workforce Education and Training.
Hundreds came to open the $29 million facilities on Northern Virginia Community College’s Woodbridge Campus. The center caters to working adults with non-degree programs that focus on training and career development.
The center will offer courses in leadership, accounting a bookkeeping, IT skills, healthcare and dental, construction and building, and green technology just to name a few.
The 55,000 square-foot facility visible from Neabsco Mills Road was made possible by a partnership with the College, Prince William County, and state officials. Prince William County provided $1 million in funding and the state gave $28 million in funds.
Prince William Board of Supervisors Chairman, At-large Corey Stewart thanked retired Virginia State Sen. Charles Colgan for pushing to fund the new center.
“I can say this without hesitation, the most effective serving members of the General Assembly to serve Prince William County is Chuck Colgan,” Republican Stewart said about the Democrat.
The new building also boasts a conference center, an amenity that has been long lacking in eastern Prince William County,
States the county’s department of economic development:
The facility also features a professional testing center and 7,500 square foot conference center designed to host a range of events from industrial-type training, exhibits, and trade shows to formal gatherings and special events.
“When we were coming up with a name for this new center, I wanted something big. I wanted the ‘galactic center for workforce development,’ but I’m glad we got the ‘regional’ name in there because this is a regional asset we are going to market the heck out of,” said Prince William County Economic Development Director Jeffery Kaczmarek.
Today’s ceremony marked the official grand opening of the new center. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe visited the Workforce Education center last fall for a cyber defense conference where he recognized a group of Potomac Senior High School students who are enrolled in a special cyber security class at the school.
The new center is the seventh building on the expanding Woodbridge Campus. NOVA is the second largest community college in the U.S.
