Mesa Community College is expanding its programs to address shortages in the construction industry and the opportunities created by the expanding number of data centers in the Valley.
The college is expanding its Construction Trades Program, including a redesign of existing space and a 1.5-acre, one-of-a-kind construction “laydown yard,” – the first in the nation to be built at a community college.
It said “strong support from the college’s construction industry partners” is enabling the programs’ expansion.
“The expansion comes at a critical time in the construction industry which is experiencing a considerable national, state and local workforce shortage,” a spokeswoman said.
mcc.jpg
Two Lowe’s representatives show off a forklift purchased by the college with funds from the Gable Grant.
Mesa Mayor Mark Freeman was among the dignitaries at a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony at the laydown yard, located at MCC’s Southern and Dobson Campus, 1833 W. Southern Ave.
He was joined by Lowe’s Foundation Director Betsy Conway, the Arizona Department of Transportation and construction industry partners.
“We have searched and as far as we know, this is the only community college laydown yard in the country,” said Dr. David Cain, Construction Management/Trades Program director and Applied Sciences and Technology Department faculty.
He added that holding the grand opening event in October couldn’t be more appropriate as October is Careers in Construction Month celebrating construction professionals who build and maintain communities.
Located in a former parking lot east of the Applied Science and Technology Building and nicknamed “Construction-Zona” by students, the new laydown yard was designed by Cain to resemble real construction yards used on building projects throughout Greater Phoenix.
Such yards serve as secure staging areas for storage and organization of equipment and materials and preparation of materials for installation.
The yard has four pods dedicated to carpentry, concrete, MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) and solar.
Pods consist of shipping containers covered with canopies to create shaded work/storage spaces where students learn to perform a variety of tasks important in construction.
In collaboration with Arizona State University’s 2+2 program, Cain said a fifth pod will provide space for ASU instructors to teach masonry and concrete to both MCC and ASU students.
Encircling the yard is a fence outfitted with a decorative wrap designed by local high school artists to avoid student distraction from onlookers.
Cain said eventually a non-brick and mortar, portable classroom may be added in the yard so students can easily transition from what they just learned in class to hands-on implementation.
Other redesigned expansion space includes a laboratory situated in the Applied Science and Technology Building featuring small pods for learning safety measures and national construction industry methods and procedures.
Also as part of the expansion three new courses are being introduced in 2025-26.
These include masonry, which was introduced in this fall;, HVAC, which will launch next spring;, and solar, which will be introduced in Summer 2026.
MCC currently offers Certificates of Completion (CCL) in Carpentry, Electrical and Plumbing and Associate’s degrees in Construction Management and Construction Technology. CCLs are focused programs with courses covering safety, tools, blueprints, calculations, trade-specific codes, materials, and installation techniques.
Cain emphasized that “the project could not have become a reality without the overwhelming support of the college’s construction industry partners who contributed more than $600,000 in funds, materials, supplies, equipment, labor and scholarships.
“We heavily rely on the construction community to ensure our students not only learn their craft with the latest tools and technology, but will have the full experience of working in the field.”
Partners include ADOT, Lowe’s Foundation, Arizona Masonry Council, DPR Construction, OES (a subsidiary of DPR), Goettl HVAC, Mortenson Construction, Total Rental (a subsidiary of Mortenson Construction) and Sundt Construction. MCC Construction Trades students and faculty provided additional labor.
Extra support came from a Lowe’s Foundation $1 million Gable Grant to the Maricopa County Community College District, which directed more than $483,000 to MCC to support the growth of its Construction Trades programs.
ADOT funds scholarships in addition to construction funds and student safety equipment.
“These investments not only prepare the next generation of skilled workers but also address the pressing demand for qualified professionals in the construction field,” the college said.
“The demand for skilled tradespeople is currently at a 150,000 worker deficit in our community,” Cain pointed out. “For every five skilled workers who retire today, only two skilled workers are replacing them in the workforce. This represents the skills gap in Arizona and the United States.”
Construction jobs throughout the country remain in high demand. According to a talent shortage survey conducted by Manpower Group, skilled trades remain the hardest jobs to fill for the seventh year in a row.
The Construction Labor Market Analyzer indicates that Arizona has a shortage of 195,440 trained talent needed to fill a variety of construction jobs.
The areas in most need are craft labor and carpentry although masons, ironworkers, electricians, heavy equipment operators, painters, pipefitters, millwrights, roofers and other trades are also in great demand.
According to the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity, the construction industry is expected to see the highest rate of job growth, 3.3%, through 2025. By 2031, Arizona is projected to add 37,000 new construction jobs.
Cain gave several reasons for the labor shortage. “Four decades ago, we offered high school industrial arts, shop and other manual labor programs and classes.
“Today most of them have vanished from our secondary education system because we have de-emphasized trade schools.”
He cited cultural, educational and institutional biases for the decline. “You don’t need a four-year college degree to achieve a lifelong career.”
Another reason for the acute shortage is that in Arizona, rapid growth consisting of large infrastructure projects, data centers and industrial warehouses require an abundance of skilled labor.
“Although our construction trades program initially launched just two years ago, we are gaining momentum,” Cain said. “We cannot adequately train the future construction workforce from a book. Hands-on experience is necessary.”
Responding to a workforce shortage in data center operations, the MCC Data Center Operations program is working with industry partners to provide training and career opportunities in one of the fastest-growing fields in Arizona and the nation.
“Phoenix is the fastest-growing data center nationally and will eventually become the second biggest data center in the country,” said Ken Hackler, MCC Automated Industrial Technology faculty.
MCC currently offers:
• Certificate of Completion (CCL) in Data Center Operations, a 22-credit program providing hands-on training to develop expertise in data center infrastructure, electrical and mechanical systems and safety & ethics.
• Network Academy Program which trains students in performing specific tasks that meet industry-recognized standards including skills associated with network administration and security, computer networks and data communications, and information and data security. The program also provides certification in CISCO, Linux and Microsoft Windows for network professionals.
• CCL in Computer System Configuration and Support Network prepares students for entry-level computer maintenance, help desk, and network technician jobs with an emphasis on networking.
As part of the new CCL in Data Center Operations, two new courses were developed. They include Introduction to Data Center Operations and Power Distribution Systems.
MCC worked closely with iMasons and AFCOM teams to create the data center operations certification, Hackler said.
Contributions of more than $33,000 from QTS, $10,000 from AFCOM and $5,000 from EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure recently launched a new scholarship fund with the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation benefiting MCC and EMCC students.
Hackler added that students certified in data center operations have many career opportunities with a variety of skillsets in employment as a mechanical, electrical, and controls technician in data centers or companies that support data center functions.
To learn more about all these programs: mcc.org.
