MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Vocational School District (MCVSD) will hold a groundbreaking ceremony at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 27 for its new Career Training Center at the County College of Morris (CCM) in Randolph, which will expand the vocational school operations by 30 percent.
The new center has the potential of adding 500 students to the school district, exposing career-focused and college-bound high school students to the type of specialized skills that will lead them to successful futures.
“This new initiative allows students to pursue career training while gaining an industry-valued credential and college credits simultaneously. It puts students on a path to be career and college ready, while completing high school graduation requirements in their local district,” said Scott Moffitt, Superintendent of the Morris County Vocational School District.
“Building upon successful programs already operating as a result of the long-standing partnership between CCM and MCVSD, high school students will now have more access to a variety of high-demand program offerings in areas such as artificial intelligence, mechatronics, renewable energy technology, certified nurse assistant and dental assistant to capture a wide range of interests and passion,” Moffitt added.
MCVSD released a list of the following in-demand technical skill programs that will be included at the Career Training Center:
- Medical Coding & Billing
- Certified Medical Assistant
- Dental Assistant
- Emergency Medical Technician / Pre-Paramedic
- Artificial Intelligence
- Networking Administration
- Mechatronics / Robotics / Automation
- Renewable Energy Technology – Wind & Solar
- Entrepreneurship / Small Business Management
- Supply Chain Management
The construction schedule is dependent on weather and constituency in the supply chain of materials. The two-story, 45,940 square-foot Center will cost $24.8 million, with $6.2 million coming from the county and $18.6 million from state under Securing Our Children’s Future (SOCF) Bond Act. Details on the project were presented to the Morris County Board of County Commissioners, as the board introduced a bond ordinance to support construction at their January 26, 2022 public meeting.
It will be built next to the Advanced Manufacturing Center at CCM, which also has plans for a new Entrepreneurship and Culinary Science Center on campus. A groundbreaking ceremony for this project is scheduled for November 2023.
Morris County Building Tomorrow’s Career Opportunities Today
Both projects build on strong partnerships established with business and industry as well as existing programs designed to prepare high school students, college students and adults for rewarding careers in high demand industries.
The MCVSD expansion will operate on a share-time model for high school juniors and seniors. It will focus on workforce development and offer students industry credentials, work-based and project-based learning opportunities and up to 18 college credits. The project expands on an existing partnership MCVSD has with CCM to provide high school students the opportunity to earn college credits, industry-valued credentials and access to an associate degree, either upon completion of high school or one year after graduation.
