Wharton County Junior College hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new construction trades training facility, located at the college's Bay City campus. On hand were elected officials, community leaders and college staff and board members. Pictured cutting the ribbon are WCJC President Betty McCrohan and Gloria Millsap, District Director for Sen. Joan Huffman.
BAY CITY, TEXAS — Elected officials, community leaders and industry representatives were all on hand for the official dedication of Wharton County Junior College’s construction trades training facility. Held on Feb. 12 at the Bay City campus, the event provided a behind-the-scenes look at the new program while also highlighting WCJC’s overall impact.
“I am a WCJC alumni and (my time at WCJC) served a great purpose for me,” said Matagorda County Judge Bobby Seiferman, one of the event’s speakers.
Guests were later invited to stand if they had attended WCJC at some point in their educational career. Nearly half of the crowd stood.
WCJC President Betty McCrohan noted that a growing interest for trained carpenters prompted the development of the new program and the building renovation. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction trades are a fast growing industry, with Texas possessing a higher rate of construction than the rest of the nation.
“The need and demand is there,” McCrohan said. “It is a well-needed expansion.”
The project included the revamping of 15,000 square feet of an unused 22,000 square foot area at the Bay City campus. That portion was completed in the fall of 2024. An additional phase will see the remodeling of another 7,000 square feet. Carpentry classes have already been offered, with future plans to offer plumbing and pipe fitting.
McCrohan credited the Texas Legislature and specifically Senator Joan Huffman with securing funding for the program and facility. The campus itself is provided to the college through an arrangement with the Bay City Community Development Corp.
“Without Senator Huffman and her support in financing this, it wouldn’t have happened. This didn’t take place without a lot of people,” McCrohan said.
Bay City Community Development Corp. Executive Director Jessica Russell agreed.
“This was the culmination of a lot of work,” she said.
Lead instructor for the construction trades program is Bruce Holley, a University of Houston graduate with 50 years of knowledge in the construction trades. Students who complete the courses receive a certificate of completion and qualify to take the National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) examination to earn their NCCER national certification. An advisory committee helps oversee course offerings and curriculum.
For more information on the trade school or the carpentry program, visit the college’s website at wcjc.edu.
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