OCOEE, Fla. – Orange County Public Schools celebrated the groundbreaking of the new Orange Technical College campus on Ocoee Apopka Road.
The new campus will be located behind Ocoee High School and it will replace the OTC West campus on Story Road in Winter Garden.
“A lot of things have gone into this. A lot of planning,” Deputy Superintendent Michael Armbruster said.
Armbruster explained this has been in the works for many years and he’s happy to see what’s to come.
“When we built the institutional model we looked at different schools and different areas and this one being in this area, construction is a huge employer here and with all the building going on that’s a real focus for us so we can train the work force that are contractors need out there to build homes and businesses that we are having built all around right now,” Armbruster said.
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The 115,000 square foot building will offer students training programs in construction technology, electricity, cosmetology, and other hands-on careers.
Most programs enroll students every nine weeks.
Marcos Romero, who came from Venezuela, enrolled in 2016 with OTC and is now a building contractor.
“Even when they didn’t understand my English, they always tried a way to find to help me, they do hard work and saw how the teacher worked to help the students make them a good professional and a good person,” Romero said.
Adult students must be 16 years or older and withdrawn from their high school to be admitted to OTC with the exception of dual enrolled students.
The new campus is set to open in fall 2024.
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