“Across the country, there is growing recognition of how vital the skilled trades are to our communities.”

Originally published by East Greenwich News, an Ocean State Stories partner.

EAST GREENWICH — New England Institute of Technology (NEIT) is planning to build a new “Innovation Center for Building Sciences,” a major East Greenwich campus expansion designed to meet the growing regional and national demand for highly trained, skilled trades professionals.

Demand for trained professionals in construction, electrical, plumbing, and building engineering technologies continues to outpace supply. The Innovation Center will expand NEIT’s capacity to prepare job-ready graduates in these critical fields, ensuring employers have access to the skilled talent needed to build, maintain, and modernize essential systems.

“Some of the goal right now for the skilled trades is also to continue to attract students from the region and outside the state and encourage them to come here on campus,” said Amy Grzybowski, vice president of workforce development and community relations. “That will help us continue to create that campus feel, while also meeting a workforce demand.”

She noted the need for skilled trades workers, citing an undersupply of electricians, plumbers, pipe fitters, steam fitters and pipe layers. “So we’re trying to directly answer that call to expand the opportunity of programming and help increase the supply of skilled talent,” Grzybowski said.

The project represents an investment of approximately $40 million in a new 53,000-square-foot facility to be built on NEIT’s East Greenwich campus. Groundbreaking is expected in this spring, with construction expected to be completed by the end of 2027. Designed to support hands-on learning, the center will feature modern labs, industry equipment, and flexible learning spaces that mirror real-world job sites.

“Across the country, there is growing recognition of how vital the skilled trades are to our communities – something New England Tech has embraced for more than 80 years,” Grzybowski said. “Our Innovation Center will expand opportunity for the next generation of skilled trade students while ensuring our region has the workforce needed to meet the labor demand.”

Once completed, the Innovation Center will expand NEIT’s total skilled trades training capacity to serve approximately 1,000 students annually from across the country.