Penn Valley Campus Adding Engineering Technology Building

The engineering technology program at Metropolitan Community College is being relocated to the school’s Penn Valley campus near downtown and will be housed in a $7.2 million addition that began construction last month.

The new MCC Engineering Technology building is going up on the south side of the Penn Valley Carter Art Center and the Physical Education building.

The two-story facility will house classrooms and labs, MCC’s FabLab maker space, an outdoor covered work yard for large FabLab projects, a 3-D printing lab and the Burns & McDonnell Design Innovation Lab, according to a press release.

The program’s change in location, from near Interstate 435 and Front Street to Penn Valley, will make it accessible to more students from throughout metropolitan Kansas City, according to Tyjaun Lee, MCC-Penn Valley president.

Public transportation options will include RideKC buses as well as the planned extension of the streetcar line south of Union Station.

Construction on the new engineering technology building began last month on the south side of the Penn Valley Campus.

“This new space is just another sign of Metropolitan Community College’s commitment to training the Kansas City workforce,” MCC Chancellor Kimberly Beatty said in a statement.

“Our engineering technology program is so highly regarded that employers offer jobs to many of our graduates before they’ve even finished their degree.”

The engineering technology program prepares students for jobs as drafters, designers and engineering technicians at companies such as Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell, Kiewit, Power Engineers and Evergy, according to the release.

Their coursework includes training in engineering graphics, the most popular CADD (computer-aided drafting and design) software packages, and introductory mechanical and architectural design.

The project, which includes renovation of existing space, is expected to be completed by fall 2021, the release stated.

Hollis + Miller Architects designed the Engineering Technology project for Metropolitan Community College. The general contractor is McCownGordon Construction.