School offers certifications for great hands-on careers.
When Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) celebrated the official ribbon cutting of the new Rick Lott Technical College in Plant City on December 12, 250 people joined in on the event, including representatives for Ashley Moody and Laurel Lee, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, the Plant City Fire Rescue and Police Departments, Strawberry Festival Redcoats, and school board members.
This enormous investment in workforce education for East Hillsborough County sits on 16.29 acres at 1690 E. Park Rd in Plant City, next to the Plant City Stadium. “Today’s ribbon cutting at Rick Lott Technical College is about opportunity,” said Superintendent Van Ayres. “Students in Plant City and across East Hillsborough now have a clear pathway to high-skill, high-wage careers right here in their own community. From welding and HVAC to building construction and electrical trades, these programs equip graduates with the certifications local employers need—so they can step confidently into the workforce and build a prosperous future.” Forklift certification has also been added to the curriculum.
“This is going to be good for Plant City, for the youth, and also for the businesses in the area,” Plant City Vice Mayor Jason Jones said. “The youth are going to learn new trades that they can apply immediately, but it is also going to help the local businesses here and in Hillsborough County because there are a lot of them needing to hire for these trades they are going to be offering here. These will be nice-paying jobs for the youth, good for the businesses, which in turn helps the community. So, it is going to be good for Plant City and Hillsborough County.”
After the ceremony, guests were toured through the facility’s 52,600 square feet. One wing holds 16 classrooms with eight on each floor. The other wing contains six classrooms with storage space and shops where students will get hands-on training with state-of-the-art equipment. The shops are filled with cool stuff like a programmable robotic arm, a laser cutting machine, and 25 welding labs. Lott Tech offers 695 student stations. Principal Gary Graham stated, “Our labs and shops were designed to look and feel like the workplaces our students will step into after graduation. Every day, they will work with the tools, equipment, and safety standards used on real job sites. These are practical, affordable programs that move students from the classroom into a career as efficiently as possible.”
Each classroom has space for 30 students. Most programs are structured to be completed in approximately one year, allowing students to earn industry-recognized credentials and transition quickly into high-wage, high-demand jobs across the Tampa Bay region.
“The guy who told me about this is my stepfather,” Free Daniels, one of the instructors, said. “He worked with Gary Graham. So, I interviewed with Gary, and when he showed me the shop, I was blown away by how much technology was in the shop. I’m a welder. I really didn’t want to be a teacher, but when I saw what was going on, and I felt the energy, and how important this is, I immediately wanted the job.”
One outstanding feature of Lott Tech is that the classes are options for which HCPS students can dual enroll, just as they can in Hillsborough Community College classes. With this program, the class credits apply to high school coursework as well as a college degree for HCC, or a technical certification at Lott Tech.
When Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) asked the community for ideas for the name of the new technical college in Plant City, 230 names were submitted. Rick Lott got twice as many nominations as all the other names combined because he was the driving force behind constructing the technical school in Plant City.
“….We started towards trying to make sure that our school system gave kids the path, that when they graduated from high school, they can go right into a wonderful life with a local company that needs that skill,” Lott commented. “They are walking in with a piece of paper that says, ‘I am ready for you.’ I didn’t go to college. I was that C student in high school. I know that with hard work, a lot of grit, and some common sense, you can reach all your dreams and desires in America. This is a wonderful country. I have met my goals in life without a college diploma. As my kids were going through school, I was watching their friends, embarrassed to say they weren’t going to school. I want people around kids like that to say, ‘You are going to be an electrician? We’re proud of you. You are going to be an HVAC technician? We’re proud of you.’ But they needed somewhere they could get that certification. We have that now, and they can make that decision in high school. Now they have a wonderful path.”
Courses will commence the week of January 12.
