Construction Begins on Polk State College’s Advanced Technology Center at Clear Springs
Construction has begun on Polk State College’s Advanced Technology Center at Clear Springs, which will serve the 21stcentury workforce development needs of the community. Machines are on site, moving dirt as the first stage of the future roadway leading to the home of Polk State’s Corporate College begins. The selection of the architectural team and construction manager will commence next week.
“We are excited that roadway construction has begun,” said Polk State College President, Dr. Eileen Holden. “The creation of Polk State College’s Advanced Technology Center at Clear Springs exemplifies a vital private/public and public/public partnership that will strengthen Polk County.” The 70,000-81,000 square-foot center, which will be the permanent home of Polk State College’s Corporate College, will be located east of Bartow and just north of State Road 60.
Polk State College’s Advanced Technology Center at Clear Springs will address critical industry needs through high-skill training that incorporates the latest state-of-the-art technology, training tools and educational support services. The multi-story building will house high-technology laboratories, classrooms, and meeting and office spaces.
The Center will be designed to encompass ongoing successful advanced technology training institutes at Polk State College’s Corporate College, consisting of the following:
- Supply Chain Management Institute
- Institute for Advanced Manufacturing/Automation and Robotics
- Information Technology Institute
- The Safety Institute
- Design, Construction and Sustainability Institute
- Agriculture Tech/Agriculture Business Institute
- Performance and Process Improvement Institute
Each institute has been designed to incorporate the latest developments in technologies and applications that are projected to have a major commercial impact. Participating companies will have a competitive advantage because they will learn about partnering opportunities, advances in technology and changes in licensing requirements.
“Success in any business depends on its employees,” said Dr. Holden. “Today’s workforce must be trained in the latest technology and capable of adapting to a changing workplace. Our goal is to streamline the transfer of knowledge, making it easy for companies to investigate new business possibilities and profit from the latest development innovations.”