December 14, 2023 – Santa Fe College has received $3 million dollars from FloridaCommerce’s Florida Job Growth Grant Fund to develop an associate degree track in Engineering Technology with a specialization in Advanced Manufacturing that addresses the needs of business and industry throughout the region.
The new Engineering Technology degree will be among the programs featured in the college’s new Ralph W. Cellon Jr Institute for Skilled Trades and Advanced Manufacturing, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2025. This grant will enable SF to implement aspects of the program, in advance of constructing the new facility, with a particular focus on semiconductor training, as early as the spring of 2024. Grant funding will also accelerate the full development of the Engineering Technology program.
“Santa Fe College is committed to both addressing the needs of the business community, while providing training and educational programs that will lead to excellent career opportunities throughout our service district,” SF President Paul Broadie II said. “This grant bolsters our effort to support students interested in entering careers in the emerging semiconductor industry, and we greatly appreciate the state’s continued support of our institution and the work we do transforming lives of our students.”
President Broadie has repeatedly voiced support for implementing innovation and new technology into the curriculum to better prepare students for the more interconnected global economy they will see upon entering the workforce.
The college anticipates the Cellon Institute will be able to serve approximately 1,300 additional students over the next decade by more than doubling the capacity of its existing Welding and HVAC programs, in addition to the new Engineering Technology degree. The $3 million is in addition to $1.8 million the college received in the last legislative session to help the college acquire the equipment needed in the new facility.
The $3 million Santa Fe College is receiving is part of a larger $28 million Florida Job Growth Grant announced by Governor DeSantis.