19 May 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The old Dillons building near the intersection of 13th Street North and Waco has a new use.
The FutureReady Manufacturing Center, a collaborative effort between Wichita Public Schools (WPS) and WSU Tech, had its ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday afternoon.
“This is a very proud moment for Wichita,” Mayor Brandon Whipple said. “This is unique. We should be celebrating this because no one else is doing this right now.”
The FutureReady Manufacturing Center allows high school students from across Wichita Public Schools to receive training on equipment and technology currently used in the manufacturing industry throughout the Wichita area.
Students can earn industry certifications while in high school, which will help them go directly into the workforce when they graduate.
In April 2022, the Wichita City Council approved American Rescue Plan Act funding for workforce hiring and training. WSU Tech was one of 14 organizations that received funds to help rehire or retrain workers in fields impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
WSU Tech received over $1.7 million for new equipment, supplies and renovations at Wichita Public Schools` FutureReady Center. It turned a building that used to be a Dillons Shopping Center into a center aimed to increase the number of students pursuing advanced manufacturing careers.
WPS Superintendent Alicia Thompson, WSU Tech President Sheree Utash, and the mayor spoke at the event.
“The FutureReady Center is an opportunity for the children and students of Wichita Public Schools to come to a place where they are able to dream, believe and achieve,” Thompson said.