ACC prepares to build Elgin workforce center,
Structure will house sustainable agriculture, veterinary tech classes.
Austin Community College is gearing up for the construction of a new workforce training center at its Elgin campus that will eventually house the college’s veterinary technician and sustainable-agriculture entrepreneurship programs.
The move is coming after voters approved a pair of propositions in the Nov. 4 general election totaling $386 million that were aimed at addressing growth for a number of the college’s campuses.
“We appreciate the voters’ approval of the bond propositions and the confidence they have placed in the college,” said Richard Rhodes, ACC Elgin’s president and CEO. “We look forward to getting to work on projects that benefit our students, our business and industry partners, and the entire region.”
In August, ACC’s Elgin campus became the first branch in the community college’s schools scattered throughout the Austin area to offer a veterinary technician program, in addition to a number of other programs unique to the campus.
Classes for the vet tech program will cost in-district students roughly $85 per credit hour.
According to Kerry Coombs, vet tech program chairman, the new workforce training center will be an in- valuable tool for students who currently have limited resources on campus.
“We’ve been having to go off campus a lot, so it’ll be both a time saver and a travel saver,” said Coombs, noting that the college has been partnering with Bastrop County Animal Control, among others, to provide students with hands-on training opportunities.
“We’re really appreciative of the facilities that have worked with us,” he said.
The timeline for the construction of the new workforce training center hasn’t been finalized.
According to Erica Thompson, director of the Bastrop County Animal Shelter, vet tech students visit the shelter each Monday to view and assist with a number of tasks and procedures.
“It’s a great relationship and they really help the shelter out a lot,” she said, adding that students are able to draw blood from animals to test for diseases and administering vaccinations.
Coombs noted that because students in the vet tech program are only in their first semester, many of the topics covered in class have included basic skills, such as becoming familiar with the strength of animals and administering vaccinations.
“They’re going to learn more of their nursing skills as we move forward,” he said. “They’ll learn some laboratory skills as they continue to gain knowledge.”