Yavapai College is accepting applications to its new Skilled Trade Center and is offering free tuition this semester to students who choose to attend.
The college broke ground on the 10,000-square-foot center in Clarkdale in February. The center houses four large bays with class space and equipment for each of the four certificate programs, including construction, electrician, plumbing and HVAC, which are careers that are in high demand in Yavapai County, according to the school.
On Wednesday, June 23, YC announced that it will offer free tuition for the entire fall semester, which starts Aug. 16, to students who enroll in classes at the trades center. The college is also offering one free class to students in all programs for the fall semester.
Tyler Rumsey, director of marketing at YC, said its decision to offer free tuition sprang from a desire to help the community recover in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The last 15 months of the pandemic were very difficult for so many people. So YC is continuing to develop new opportunities to help individuals reskill and recover from hardships they faced during the pandemic,” he said. “The certificates that will be taught at the new state-of-the-art Skilled Trades Center are in areas of essential workforce need in Yavapai County, and therefore, the decision was made to offer a free semester to help benefit both the students as well as the county’s workforce.”
Tina Redd, Verde Valley dean and district-wide dean of English, humanities and social sciences, said that need for skilled trades workers in the Verde Valley is what prompted the college to build the new trade center in Clarkdale to begin with.
It first started the process in 2019, which involved elected officials and business leaders in the area coming together and looking at data to determine which trades were most needed in the region.
“Yavapai County, Arizona is a hot spot for construction, electrician, HVAC and plumbing jobs. Job posting activity is high in the county and outpaces the national average for an area of our size,” Redd said.
While those trades are in high demand in the area at this point in time, the facility has been designed to be adaptable so the college can change or update the class options as needed.
The certificate programs are designed for a wide variety of student situations, including working adults. In addition, some of the classes are scheduled on weekends to better accommodate those who work during the week.
“YC understands that many residents have family and work commitments, so we have designed these certificates to be completed quickly,” Redd said.
For the first semester, YC is planning to run at least two sections of introductory classes for each of the certificate programs. Class sizes will be similar to any other course at YC, around 20 students, so instructors have more time for each pupil.
Registration for trades center classes is currently open and closes on Aug. 23.
“Classes are filling in all four certificates available,” Redd said. “There are still seats available, and I would encourage anyone interested to register now.”
The college will be offering tours of the new Skilled Trades Center, as well as its new “Building L,” which is for allied health, nursing, manufacturing, robotics and science courses, to the public on Aug. 7.
For more information on the free semester and admission to YC, contactycadmission@yc.edu or 634-7501.
