A formal ribbon cutting took place last month with the South Sioux City Chamber of Commerce and other community leaders. Excitement has been building since ground was broken west of the main extended campus building in late August 2023 for the industry driven project.
Brandon McLean, executive director of the Northeast physical plant and overseer of building and grounds, said the new Commercial Driver License (CDL) building consists of 11,317 square-feet, with the expansion to the Industrial Training Building (ITB) adding 1,448 square-feet.
“We are currently utilizing the ITB building and expansion, with only punch list items remaining to be completed. The CDL truck facility has a final walkthrough and punch list items to be generated and completed,” McLean said.
Ed Lewis, CDL program director, said welding is offered at the ITB. Commercial driver’s licenses will be offered at the CDL Building, which will include Class A, Class B, and Class C CDLs along with Passenger, School Bus, and Hazardous Materials endorsements. Northeast also does CDL driving tests at the South Sioux City site and has an adjacent truck driving range.
The facility and expansion were paid for by federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) that was proposed by the governor and approved by the legislature to support workforce development.
Leah Barrett, Northeast president, said the purpose of these funds was to support workforce development.
“We partnered with the South Sioux City community to identify industry needs,” Barrett said. “This investment will pay dividends for the city, region and beyond for decades to come.”
In June 2022, members of the Northeast Board of Governors held roundtable sessions with the heads of several businesses and organizations in South Sioux City and the Siouxland region to discuss their goals and workforce requests. The sessions were followed up with additional meetings with employers throughout the area.
Lewis said the original count for welding booths was 12 and it is now 20 after the expansion and changes. The CDL building offers two additional classrooms, a simulator room, drive-thru lab (shop area) and storage. The outdoor shelter will be for storing and plugging in the block heaters in the winter.
Anyone interested in enrolling in courses is encouraged to contact Ed Lewis, CDL program director, edward@northeast.edu or Chris Andersen, truck driver trainer, candersen@northeast.edu .
South Sioux City Expansion
A large gathering met in the new CDL Building on the South Sioux City campus of Northeast Community College for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of the expanded facilities. (Northeast Community College)
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