Carroll Community College to open trade school in Westminster

Carroll Community College will be opening a new off-campus trade school after signing a lease for 10,000 square feet of space at a one-story warehouse building in Westminster, MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services LLC announced July 8.

According to a release, Carroll CC signed the lease with Tevis Real Estate Inc. in a deal that involved negotiations with MacKenzie executives. The two-year Westminster college intends to establish The Ratcliffe Applied Technology & Trade Center that will occupy about half of the industrial/warehouse building at 110 Airpark Drive, about 6 miles from its main campus.

The lease brings the building to 100 percent occupancy, according to MacKenzie.

“The trades at the College are really starting to take off,” said Steven Berry, dean of Workforce, Innovation and Community Advancement at Carroll CC, according to a school release.

“We’re seeing rising enrollments. Students are coming into the trades in very large numbers.”

According to Carroll CC, the trade school will be funded by the Carroll Community College Foundation and the Philip E. & Carol R. Ratcliffe Foundation. This satellite location looks to alleviate course waitlists while supporting long-term plans for a permanent on-campus trade facility.

Programs featured at the planned trade school include plumbing, electrical, welding and automotive, which support its existing program that offers training and certification for home improvement contractors, HVAC technicians and more. 

The college offers degrees and certifications in electrical, civil, and mechanical engineering at its main campus. According to MacKenzie, the construction of classrooms and lab space for new trade school programs is underway with completion scheduled for October. 

“There remains an extreme shortage for trained electrical, HVAC, and plumbing professionals, as well as other trades, which is unfortunate because the work is extremely steady and the salaries are higher than most people realize,” MacKenzie executive Dennis Boyle said.