Chattanooga State opens new manufacturing facility
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Chattanooga State unveiled the newest centerpiece of their campus Friday.
Workforce development here in Chattanooga has a new crown jewel in the Advanced Manufacturing facility here at Chattanooga State.
Officials say it is miraculous that the building was able to be opened to the public today, given when it was approved.
Chattanooga State student John Jordan said, “Through my journey as a student, I have learned to become self-motivated, perseverant, and dependable.”
The ribbon was cut on the newest TCAT building on the Chattanooga State campus.
The building cost over $21 million and is 50,000 square feet in size.
All sectors of Chattanooga State’s hands on training have space inside this new facility.
Everything from Industrial Electricity, building construction, and mock hospital rooms for nursing students, fits under this one roof.
When it was approved during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the approval of this building was far from a sure thing.
Chattanooga State President Dr. Rebecca Ashford said, “This building would not have happened except for the generosity of the state of Tennessee. In 2020, this building was the only building that received funding to move forward in that year of Covid. We were shocked, and just so incredibly grateful.”
Students say the new building will enhance their quality of education.
Chattanooga State student John Jordan said, “Through my journey as a student, I have learned to become self-motivated, perseverant, and dependable… One of the challenges we faced with our previous classroom was the significant limitation on the space we had to complete our work, especially our live work through Tiger Tech. We were also limited on the number of students who could enroll in the program, and with the goal of expanding this program in mind, we are able to provide opportunities for more students than ever before… We also have the space we need to complete our hands-on labs without having to waste so much time setting up and tearing down for the next group to complete their labs, which saves us time in preparing for labs and lightens the workload between both students and instructors. The comparison between our previous work environment and the space we have now is without parallel. As it has already been said, the contrast between the two is night and day, and we could not be more grateful for the opportunities that this building has provided to us.”
This new building now increases the amount of the TCAT on the Chattanooga State campus to five.
