Pima College gets millions in state funding for workforce programs

Renewed state funding is helping Pima Community College fulfill its mission to prepare students for critical jobs in emerging technology fields, Gov. Katie Hobbs said Monday during a visit to Tucson.

“Pima Community College is building partnerships with business and industry to provide the workforce needed for new and emerging industries in Southern Arizona,” Hobbs said before touring the Automotive Technology and Innovation Center at Pima’s downtown campus on North Stone Avenue.

Hobbs noted that STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) workforce training funding was restored to Pima and Maricopa counties last fiscal year for the first time since 2016.

This year’s bipartisan fiscal 2024 budget agreement includes a $2 million appropriation for Pima’s overall operations, along with $1.7 million for ongoing STEM workforce funding, Hobbs said.

The governor also applauded the passage of legislation she signed into law in June that allows the state’s community colleges to count noncredit workforce training full-time equivalent student enrollment in calculating their state-imposed spending limits.

“The stronger our education system is, the stronger our workforce and economy are, too. And that matters because Arizona has become an epicenter of emerging technologies like semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries, renewable energy, aerospace and more,” Hobbs said.

“To keep pace, the state will need to have opportunities for post-secondary education and training that prepares Arizonans for these jobs,” Hobbs said. “When we accomplish this, we can attract and retain new businesses to our state.”

Hobbs cited the $12.5 million auto-tech center, which opened in 2021 as part of a major million expansion of the downtown campus to support the college’s Center of Excellence in Applied Technology.

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“This facility has programs in electric, diesel and autonomous vehicles that will increase training opportunities for companies such as Ford, Fiat, Chrysler and Subaru,” Hobbs said. “These programs use cutting-edge technology to provide real-world experience to its students.”

Such programs can make a real difference, the governor said.

“When Arizonans have opportunities for higher education, it opens doors to new jobs, to give individuals and families the chance to build a better life,” Hobbs said. “As education levels increase, earnings increase, workforce participation increases, health outcomes improve, and Arizonans have greater job security.”

Hobbs also noted the use of past STEM workforce funding to support the creation of programs in Pima’s highly regarded Aviation Technology program, which roughly doubled its size at Tucson International Airport last year with the completion of a $20 million expansion project last fall.

Across the downtown campus from the auto-tech center to the east, Pima is in the process of moving equipment and furnishings into the new Advanced Manufacturing Building, which will host programs in automated industrial technology, computer-aided design, machining and welding.

The nearby Science and Technology West building will be renovated and allow the school’s construction technology programs to expand from 2,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet, and the Science and Tech East building will be renovated to house biology programs.

Find more information about Pima’s Center of Excellence in Applied Technology and other centers online at tucne.ws/pcctech.