MOHAVE COUNTY — Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs joined many community leaders on Wednesday, September 24, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a new training facility in the Kingman Airport Industrial Park. The Advanced Manufacturing Training Center (AMTC) is Mohave College’s newest location, which will specialize in training the next generation of technical workers.
AMTC will provide training in high-demand careers such as welding, HVAC, industrial maintenance, robotics, computer-aided drafting, and manufacturing fundamentals. The Mohave College AMTC is a Future48 Workforce Accelerator and is just 15 minutes from the college’s Neal Campus in Kingman. The total cost for the new 36,000-square-foot AMTC facility was $22M—over $4M of which came from grants originating in the state legislature.
Photo Caption (L–R): Keith Watkins – Arizona Commerce Authority, Nicole Bratley – Mohave College Board Member, Susan McAlpine – Mohave College Board Member, Dr. Diane Singer – Mohave College Board President, Governor Katie Hobbs, Dr. Tim Culver – Interim Mohave College President, Dr. Stacy Klippenstein – Former Mohave College President, Travis Lingenfelter, Mohave County Supervisor, Jason Gee – Mohave College Dean of Career & Technical Education. Photo Courtesy of Mohave College.
The idea for AMTC began with Jason Gee, who is the Dean of Career and Technical Education for Mohave College. In 2016, he started exploring the possibility of creating a facility that could do integrated work. Initially, Gee says he was willing to consider any approach, such as renting or borrowing space from someone. Then in 2019, then-President of Mohave College Stacy Klippenstein embraced the idea and began taking steps to make it happen.
“We had 67 students walk in on August 18th, which was the first day of the semester,” Gee said. “When we are at full capacity, we can have as many as 250 in this building at a time learning various things.”
The AMTC is part of Arizona’s Future48 Workforce Accelerator network, a collaboration between the state, the Arizona Commerce Authority, and community colleges to provide targeted workforce training aligned with industry needs.
Governor Hobbs helped work with Congress to secure funding for AMTC, and she praised the college leadership during the ceremony. “When we first announced these facilities in 2023, our vision was to build a statewide network of workforce training centers,” she said. “I’m grateful to Mohave College for their leadership, and to the Arizona Commerce Authority and our industry partners for their collaboration to launch this state-of-the-art training facility.”
Interim College President Dr. Tim Culver echoed the praise for the goals at the heart of the project. “The AMTC represents a giant step forward in workforce training for northwestern Arizona,” he said. “Weare excited to partner with local business and industry to ensure our students graduate with the skills employers need, while also strengthening the economic foundation of our region.”
Industry partners on the Accelerator include NUCOR Steel, Air Control HVAC, Phoenix Truck Driving, Progressive Pipe Fabricators, Shelves West, and the Kingman and Mohave Manufacturing Association (KAMMA).
