Officials from Bucks County Community College and the County of Bucks on Oct. 17 announced the construction of a new building, the ‘Bucks County Center for Economic & Workforce Development’, at the college’s Bristol Township campus.

The Center will provide education and training for individuals looking to reskill, and for businesses that want to further train their employees. In addition, the new building will house labs to facilitate that work.

“This new center will allow us to integrate workforce training and employment services to better serve our regional businesses by building programs that address the shortage of skilled workers in the region, offer higher level training and provide space for businesses to engage in talks for meaningful economic growth,” explained BCCC

President and Bucks Workforce Development Board Member Dr. Stephanie Shanblatt.

The cost of the new center is estimated at about $14.1 million. The building will be paid for by a combination of local, state, and federal dollars.

The center will expand the college’s new industrial and metalworking workshop programs created to help with the current high demand for employment in the industrial industries. This demand has shown in the program’s expansion to the Upper Bucks campus, where over 200 students have completed the program with a 94 percent job placement rate.

Hoping to build upon this success, this center aims to consolidate the college’s and county’s workforce development and career offices into one location. The building will also include BCCC’s partners, including the Bucks County Workforce Development Board. They identify issues affecting the workforce system in Bucks County and create policy in response; address the needs of the emerging workforce through youth development activities; and identify eligible providers of intensive and training services.

Another partner housed within the center will be PA CareerLink, a part of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s initiative to change how job-seekers find jobs. It provides help with job search, resume and skill building workshops, unemployment assistance, GED preparation program, and many other services. Its current office will also be moved to the new building.

Conceptually, the center will be a 35,000-square-foot, two-story building with classrooms, offices, meeting spaces, and large, two-story garage bays. Groundbreaking is expected in late 2019, with completion around 2021 with an estimated time frame of 12-18 months.