Northshore Technical Community College is continuing to expand its new main campus in Lacombe.

On Friday at 10 a.m., the college held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Advanced Technology Center. This new building will house NTCC’s HVAC, Welding and Health Sciences programs, as well as Student Services, a Testing Center and a new library. The testing center will serve the Northshore, providing residents with closer access for ACT, Praxis as well as a variety of other proctored tests.

“Today we took one of many steps in this long awaited journey of Technical education on the Northshore,” said Dr. William Wainwright, chancellor of NTCC.

This building project has been in the works for almost 13 years, post-Hurricane Katrina.

“Today marks the success of long-term recovery that will build futures for Northshore citizens for generations to come,” Wainwright said.

This moment in NTCC’s history included numerous members of the community, parish government and valued business and industry partners. Gina Campo, St. Tammany Parish Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, who provided remarks from President Brister, relayed that this step is not just a great step in education but is also part of a greater visionary plan for the future for all St. Tammany residents.

Wainwright also shared that current combined enrollment is 1,245 students. He then spoke about the components of the new Advanced Technology center and included the overall growth of the main campus; mentioning its intentional and strategic alignment with STEM Curriculum and its blended use of outdoor classrooms with Maritime/Water Management.

Dr. Monty Sullivan, LCTCS System President, when praising NTCC’s accomplishments, said, “people come here from all over the country to see what a STEM campus looks like.”

The new 19,000 square-foot, $4.2-million center is set to be completed by the summer of 2019, with the full enrollment for fall 2019.