Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency (KRESA) opened its doors to the new Career Connect Campus, charting a new vision for education for the Greater Kalamazoo region.
The new Career Connect Campus is a modern, dynamic learning environment designed to empower students for high-demand, well-paying careers. The building is a culmination of community, educator, and student investment over the last six years.
“We’re proud to open the doors of the Career Connect Campus,” said Eric Stewart, Kalamazoo RESA Assistant Superintendent for Career and Talent Development. “This milestone reflects our community’s commitment to education and workforce development, and it will benefit students, families, and local businesses for years to come.”
By integrating classroom learning with real-world experience, KRESA’s Career Connect programs provide students with a powerful head start toward career success. Local businesses also benefit by tapping into a pipeline of skilled, job-ready graduates. Whether a student’s dream involves building a prototype in a high-tech manufacturing lab or caring for patients in a simulated medical setting, the Career Connect Campus aims to nurture tomorrow’s workforce and propel the local economy forward.
“Kalamazoo County is on the brink of a new era—this world-class facility will spur growth in the local economy, provide game-changing opportunities for students, and set the new precedent in CTE design nationwide," says DLR Group Principal and Architect, Matt Brehmer.
DLR Group and Wightman teamed to bring the vision for the new Career Connect Campus to life. The 162,000 SF future-ready facility reflects KRESA students and staff’s vision for a sustainable building. For structural support, a hybrid of steel and mass timber introduces alternative materials that can reduce carbon footprint. Through design, the building’s innerworkings are put on display.
Mechanical systems are intentionally exposed to showcase the viability and workability of these integrated systems. Information technology labs feature exposed server racks viewable from the commons to help students grasp the tech guts of a building and to see how conduit connects technology from one side of the facility to the other.
"The Kalamazoo RESA Career Connect Center represents a transformative investment in our students and our community. By celebrating hands-on learning and expanding access to highwage, high-demand careers, we’re helping young people discover their strengths, pursue their passions, and shape a future that reflects the full range of their potential," shares George Kacan, Wightman’s Education Sector Leader.
The building supports career tracks in high-demand fields like agriculture, food, and natural resources, architecture and construction trades, culinary arts, design, health science, human services, IT, manufacturing, and transportation, distribution, and logistics. The Career Connect Campus is a learning building, designed to deliver education via immersion. Through hands-on and active courses, learners earn industry-recognized credentials and certificates to prepare them for their futures.
