Monroe Community College has begun construction on its new Advanced Technology Center, which officials say will strengthen the school's technical education offerings and bolster the region's "workforce development pipeline."
The $69.9 million facility is being built on MCC's Brighton campus. When it is completed, some of the college's technology programs will move there from its outdated Applied Technology Center on West Henrietta Road.
Those hands-on training programs include things like automotive, heating and cooling, and solar thermal technologies, along with precision machining and tooling. Officials said MCC will also be connecting those programs with college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs.
"We are catalyzing bright futures for the community and its people through this center, which includes state-of-the-art equipment to enable students across a broad spectrum of fields to realize their dream of a secure career with a family-sustaining wage," MCC President DeAnna Burt-Nanna said in a news release.
The facility will also serve as the new home for MCC's Optical Systems Technology program, which will allow it to grow. The college offers the only associate degree in precision optics in the country.
The center will also have a new solar lab, which officials say will allow the school to offer training for panel installers, service technicians, and other in-demand renewable energy jobs.
"Monroe Community College is a cornerstone of workforce development in our region," County Executive Adam Bello said in a news release. "We must ensure that we continue its history of innovation and job readiness by offering top quality education in high demand fields like automotive technician, HVAC technician, and our first-in-the-nation optics program.”
Funding for the new center came from the county, state, and federal governments. The college expects it to open to students in fall 2026.
