TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Southern Arizona’s growing reputation as a hub for advanced manufacturing and technology took another step forward Thursday with the unveiling of a new workforce training facility at Pima Community College.
Local and state leaders, including Gov. Katie Hobbs, joined college officials and industry representatives for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the school’s new Flexible Industry Training (FIT) Lab. The state-of-the-art facility is designed to give students hands-on experience with the equipment and techniques used in modern manufacturing workplaces.
“They’re gonna get hands-on experience with all the machines that you see across this room,” said Greg Taylor, chair of the college’s governing board. “That teaches them the skills they need to enter advanced manufacturing roles across this community.”
The lab is part of a broader effort to strengthen Southern Arizona’s workforce pipeline as companies increasingly look to the region for expansion. Among those companies is American Battery Factory, which plans to build a lithium iron phosphate battery plant in the Tucson area.
Company President John Kem said the FIT Lab represents the type of training investment that can help meet industry demand for skilled workers. “We’re talking about very high — I’ll call it fancy, high-end machining,” Kem said. “This is not a robotics factory with humans in it. It is a human endeavor to run this factory.”
Funding for the facility included a $3.2 million contribution from the Arizona Commerce Authority. Hobbs said community colleges play a central role in connecting public investment to job creation.
“All of our workforce accelerators are anchored in community colleges,” Hobbs said. “And community colleges are critical economic drivers for their communities.”
College leaders said the FIT Lab stands out because of direct collaboration with employers in designing the curriculum and choosing equipment. Chancellor Jeffrey Nasse said that partnership ensures students learn skills aligned with real-world expectations.
“That’s the big difference in this building,” Nasse said. “It’s industries directly working with us in shaping the technology, the equipment, what we’re teaching our students.”
Officials said students enrolled in programs at the new lab will train using the same tools and technology they are likely to encounter on the job, improving their readiness for employment upon graduation.
Pima Community College expects the FIT Lab to begin operating after spring break next week, marking what leaders hope will be a major step toward strengthening the region’s advanced manufacturing workforce and attracting additional high-tech employers.
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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