Lackawanna College and community leaders broke ground on a project Thursday that they expect to be groundbreaking for workforce development in the region.
“The future of the workforce is here,” college President Jill Murray said, standing in an open lot that will become the Center for Technology Innovation. “We're not going to help New Jersey's economy and New York's economy. We're going to help Northeastern Pennsylvania's economy. And that means something to people here.”
The facility at 520 Wyoming Ave. in Scranton will offer undergraduate degrees, corporate training, as well as short-term, stackable certificates. Areas of study planned for the center include robotics and automation; electric vehicles and advanced vehicle technologies; and emerging energy technology. The college expects to open the facility for the fall 2026 semester and to serve around 300 students every academic year at the center.
“These programs are going to change people's lives,” Murray said.
Thursday’s groundbreaking came after several years of planning — and several proposed locations. The 17,500-square-foot facility, which will include the former Able Brake Building, is a $10 million investment. This is the latest expansion of higher education in that part of the city. Johnson College announced plans in October to move its diesel programs to 814 Wyoming Ave.
The Lackawanna College center will also offer training programs for corporate partners as well as dual enrollment courses for local high school students.
“It's an example of exactly what workforce development should look like in Pennsylvania — education aligned with industry, and opportunity aligned with real jobs,” said state Rep. Kyle Donahue, who represents Scranton.
The project includes funding from several sources, including the state, the Appalachian Regional Commission and Coterra Energy.
Rob Crane, the robotics and integrated technologies program director at Lackawanna, expects the center to bring more visibility to the campus and its programs. The program launched three years ago.
“I think it's going to open up a lot of avenues for recruitment of talented individuals, so we can get them into the program, and then back out into the workforce and be a part of this community,” he said.
