Delaware Tech breaks ground on Automotive Center of Excellence

Delaware Technical Community College broke ground Aug. 29 on a 13,500-square-foot building to be called the Automotive Center of Excellence, on the college’s Owens Campus in Georgetown. This facility, along with the college’s new training center in Middletown, will house the first diesel mechanic training program in the region.

The center will double the number of automotive technicians trained at Delaware Tech in Georgetown each year from 20 to 40, and will allow the college to train up to 15 diesel mechanics per year. “The construction of this facility is in direct response to a dire workforce need for more diesel mechanics and auto technicians in our state and our region,” Delaware Tech President Mark T. Brainard said. “We are thankful for the generous support of our government and community partners, who are the reason we are able to break ground on this project today.”

Delaware Tech received a $1.97 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration to support construction of the facility, along with $1.8 million from the state’s Higher Education Fund, and $120,000 from Sussex County Council. This funding is in addition to generous support from many organizations and individuals in the state.

“For years we’ve heard that there are just not enough auto technicians in Delaware, which is why I’ve long supported the Economic Development Administration grant to help this Automotive Center for Excellence program get up and running, and I’ve waited a long time for this groundbreaking,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Carper. “This center will give students on Delmarva a great-paying trade to learn, allowing them to stay and raise a family in the area instead of moving.”