CEI’s new Professional Development Center will ‘connect learners with better jobs’

IDAHO FALLS – The completion of College of Eastern Idaho’s Professional Development Center is nan culmination of an thought first projected by erstwhile Bonneville County Commissioner Cliff Long.

That’s what Trevor Elordi, CEI’s vice president of workforce improvement and continuing education, told nan crowd Thursday day astatine a ribbon-cutting and unfastened location of nan caller building.

The 14,000-square-foot building astatine 240 Technology Drive successful Idaho Falls is kitty-cornered from nan Eastern Idaho Workforce Training Center, which opened successful 2022. Together, these buildings dress up nan college’s workforce campus.

RELATED | College of Eastern Idaho unveils caller Workforce Training Center successful Idaho Falls

CEI President Lori Barber tells EastIdahoNews.com nan intent of nan caller building is to “connect learners pinch amended jobs.”

“Any training that an employer mightiness request to nonstop their labor to, we tin really grip that for them,” Elordi says. “We tin group it up and customize it into a time training aliases respective weeks.”

CEI’s caller Professional Development Center astatine 240 Technology Drive successful Idaho Falls. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

Instruction for a assortment of professions will beryllium offered here, including construction-related jobs, machining and welding, integer trading and web design, CPR and different healthcare-related jobs, and more.

One of nan main programs is nan caller bid serviceman and standards training for caller rule enforcement officers. Sgt. Bryan Lovell pinch nan Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office says being capable to train caller officers successful Idaho Falls, alternatively than sending them to Meridian aliases Idaho State University successful Pocatello, will prevention a batch of clip and money.

“It’s a amended worth for nan sheriff’s agency because it costs little for lodging and travel. People that are hired tin spell location to their families astatine nighttime alternatively of being gone for six to 8 weeks,” Lovell says.

The sheriff’s agency is already utilizing abstraction astatine nan workforce training halfway to supply ongoing training for deputies. Current rule enforcement officials will person training astatine nan caller building arsenic well.

More than 500 students are enrolled successful nan school’s apprenticeship programme this year. Since 2023, Elordi says HVAC, plumbing and electrical courses are up 10%.

With nan “record growth” successful student enrollment complete nan years, Barber is thrilled that CEI now has its ain building for master development.

“It’s taken america 7 years to get to this point,” Barber says. “We person ever been a workforce campus. Having these 2 buildings now will let america to turn exponentially.”

RELATED | CEI holding unfastened location for caller Professional Development Center

During nan ribbon-cutting, Barber said master improvement erstwhile occupied a fistful of cubicles successful nan basement of Building 1.

The Professional Development Center was erstwhile a telephone center. Idaho National Laboratory leased nan abstraction for a while earlier CEI took it over.

Going forward, Barber says nan caller Professional Development Center will let nan assemblage to grow and turn and she’s excited to service much business and manufacture successful nan area.

“I americium truthful excited for each nan possibilities CEI offers nan community,” Barber says. “Thank you to nan full organization for nan support fixed to nan college. It’s really helped america turn arsenic quickly arsenic we have.”

Ribbon-cutting for nan caller Professional Development Center | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com