Responding to the need of skilled workers in the area, Curt G. Joa Inc. contributed to the creation of Lakeshore Technical College’s new state-of-the-art training facility, which was unveiled Wednesday.

The facility consists of two buildings, a 19,000-square-foot addition to the existing Flexible Training Arena and a renovation of the existing Nierode Building into a training facility for CNC machinists, machine tool technicians and automation and robotics training.

The total cost of the facilities estimated at $6.1 million, with an estimated $2.5 million raised locally. The outpouring of support from local manufacturers — including Curt G. Joa, Inc. — allowed the timeline of the project to be accelerated, and the project was completed in 20 months instead of four years.

The learning center, which features 50 new welding booths, spacious labs and new classrooms for food production and safety, industrial maintenance, machine tool, mechanical design, electromechanical and industrial electrical training, was made possible by a collaborative effort between state legislators, local businesses and Lakeshore Technical College.

For many years, Curt G. Joa, Inc. has partnered with the technical college, sending close to 100 Joa employees through apprenticeships.

Joa’s paid apprenticeships and education assistance allow employees to learn while working. It’s a philosophy that’s rewarded Joa with an average tenure of 12 years per employee.

Employees can seek a future in one of the following programs:

• Machinist
• Millwright/Maintenance Mechanic
• Sheet Metal Construction
• Industrial Electrician
• Maintenance Technician