Woodland Hills, Los Angeles (KABC) — Local educational institutions celebrate the future while honoring the past.
Pierce College in Woodland Hills opened as an agricultural school in 1947, but quickly evolved into a full-scale community college.
The school’s landmark 75th anniversary ribbon-cutting ceremony opens the doors to a new $22 million automotive technology center.
This is a modern, state-of-the-art facility that rivals any college or trade school.
“This is a testament to the excellence of our faculty, staff and students, as well as the investment in our community,” Los Angeles Community College President Francisco Rodriguez said of his dedication to the building.
Pierce College has been training aspiring automotive technicians for decades, and its auto shop first opened in 1967.
But vehicles will evolve considerably over the next few decades, and the institution will teach a new generation of technicians to study them.
“Dedicated space for extended electrical and electronic systems training, advanced diagnostics and autonomous vehicle systems training, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, alternative fuels and emissions training,” said Professor Michael Van Dyke.
The car will change over the next decade, arguably more than the seven and a half years since the campus first opened.
But these future cars still need qualified people to build them.
“With all these orders from the government and pushing for all these dates that are actually just around the corner, we have to start preparing for what’s to come,” said Alex Villalta, a lecturer in automotive technology at Piece College.
From the beginning, one of Pierce’s missions was to prepare young people for careers, and a career in maintaining and repairing cars was a lucrative career for both men and women.
“Ultimately, this industry can make a lot of money. A lot of our students work at Tesla, they work at Bob Smith BMW, Galpin Ford, Northridge Toyota, and they can easily make over $100,000,” Villarta noted.
With its diamond anniversary in the history books, the long-standing educational center is ready to welcome its first students to begin their studies in its new facility next spring.
who knows? Maybe start the next 75 years of school.
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