Cape Coral Technical College expands with new trade programs and community support

Lee County school officials and Cape Coral residents celebrated the expansion of Cape Coral Technical College, which now offers five new trade programs to prepare students for in-demand careers. The new programs include automotives, marine service technologies, building construction technologies, HVAC and refrigeration, and welding. “These programs are critical. We call them career-in-a-year, skilled trades training program. So our students are prepared to go out into the workforce with credentials and industry certifications within the first year. In fact, our first students in HVAC and marine service are currently, as we speak, already in the building,” said Charlie Pease, director of Cape Coral Technical College. John August, an HVAC student, explained why he chose this career path, citing the practicality of the program. “So, I would say that the college, especially with the people that don't want to do university,” August said. The celebration also featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a significant contribution from Nortech, a local boat manufacturing company. Nortech presented a $20,000 check and announced a $100,000 partnership with the college over the next five years. Henrik Margard of Nortech emphasized the importance of skilled workers and the company’s connection to the college. “Finding good employees are becoming increasingly more difficult, which is why we decided to align us with Cape Coral Technical. We felt it was so good. We've been around for a long time to immigrants from Norway started the company 35 years ago, building one boat at a time. We're fortunate now to say that we are probably one of the top performance boats in our segment,” Margard said. Cape Coral Technical College is looking forward to welcoming new students this fall. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.