AVONDALE, Arizona – On Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015, EMCC was jointly recognized as a recipient of the Western Maricopa Coalition (WESTMARC) Excellence in Innovation Best of the West Award along with Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC) and APS Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. The award highlighted a unique partnership which has evolved to create the West-MEC Southwest Energy Partners Campus.
Located in Buckeye, south of the I-10 at Verrado Way, the West-MEC Southwest Campus will provide educational and career pathways for high school, college and adult students in a hands-on environment. Phase One of campus construction includes labs and classroom space dedicated to training power plant technicians to meet a growing employment demand due to an aging workforce. The campus is scheduled to open in the spring 2016 semester, with a tentative ribbon cutting planned for February.
As a contributor to the project, EMCC will have leased office and work space at the new location. In addition, EMCC curriculum will provide a direct pathway for high school students to fast track their college completion and career pathway in the areas of Industrial Manufacturing and Emerging Technologies as well as Power Plant Technology.
Educational pathways offered at the facility will include EMCC’s Energy and Industrial curriculum. The architectural and curriculum design incorporate energy concepts into all phases of learning and the environment. The facility will include a fully-functioning industry flow loop as well as a canopy of solar panels that will shade outdoor study areas. Students enrolled in the program will learn from college faculty and senior training staff from Palo Verde.
The West-MEC partnership was selected as the 23rd annual recipient of the award for its unique collaborative efforts, which address a critical workforce shortage for the energy industry by providing a state-of-the-art training facility for a new generation of workers. The partnership focuses on providing credit-bearing, hands-on training that will lead to well-paying careers for high school students and adults alike.
The WESTMARC Excellence in Innovation award recognizes innovative concepts that help fulfill a need, preserve resources or create economic benefit in the West Valley. Recipients of the award are selected by a panel of judges, which is comprised of West Valley leaders who are chosen for their community and business expertise.
(photo credit: Ed Sharpe, Glendale Daily Planet)