COLUMBIA — The Columbia Area Career Center has officially opened its newly expanded campus, marking the completion of a two-year construction project that adds more than 26,000 square feet to the facility. The improvements aim to strengthen workforce development pathways for students throughout Boone County.
The expansion introduces cutting-edge labs, reconfigured classrooms, energy-efficient upgrades and a wide range of hands-on career learning spaces. School officials say the project reflects the growing need to prepare students for in-demand technical and skilled professions.
John Lyman, president of the Columbia School Board, called the milestone a proud moment for the district.
“Well, it’s exciting because it’s the completion of a promise that we made to the community,” Lyman said. “We asked the community for some help a couple years ago with some funding, and we’ve put it together. It’s an awesome facility. It’s modern. It’s really unlike anything I’ve ever walked through before.”
The project was funded by a bond issue passed in 2022. Construction began the following year — and despite active work zones, teachers and students remained in the building.
“There were classes that were still happening while construction was going on,” Lyman said. “It’s a real testament to the staff here and making it work while construction was ongoing so that nothing skipped a beat.”
The Columbia Area Career Center, located at 4203 S. Providence Road near Rock Bridge High School, now mirrors real workplace environments in fields such as culinary arts, media production and advanced technology.
“There’s an industrial kitchen in there — like you’re going into a fancy five-star restaurant,” Lyman said. “There are computer labs, audio-visual studios, you could do news recordings and things in this place. It’s unbelievable.”
District leaders say the goal is to spark career inspiration early.
“You go into some of these rooms, and I can’t imagine that a student’s not going to walk into one and go, ‘I want to do this,’” Lyman added.
The center serves nearly 3,000 students — including public, private and homeschool students from across Boone County.
“Students from throughout the district, throughout Boone County, there are students from Tolton, from Southern Boone, from Ashland,” Lyman said. “There was even a homeschool student taking a class here.”
Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Jeff Klein said the expansion aligns closely with the region’s economic needs.
“Workforce development is so important to this community,” Klein said. “The expansion and renovation allow us to expand the number of students that we can support and increase the quality of the services that we’re providing.”
The district’s mission is to ensure every student graduates “college, career and life ready,” Klein said — especially those still exploring their future.
“Not every graduate knows 100% what they’re going to do, but we want every graduate to have a strong direction and a sense of who they are as a pre-professional.”
District leadership believes the expansion reinforces a long-term commitment to supporting the community’s workforce pipeline.
“This facility shows a dedication to developing our future workforce,” Lyman said. “The opportunities that students are going to have now are just amazing.”
Officials say additional programming, equipment upgrades and stronger partnerships with local industries are expected in the years ahead as the center continues to scale enrollment and learning opportunities.
Originally reported by
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