Spotlight: Ranken Technical College Breaks Ground on New Manufacturing Building, Offering Modern Manufacturing Skills, New Ideas, Technologies, and Enterprises for Students

Supporting American manufacturing is a major priority for the Trump Administration.

As the President has said, “Made in America is more than a label or a product… It’s a stamp of excellence. It’s a badge of honor and a tribute to the tremendous skill of the working men and women who design and build these incredible masterpieces and different products of all types.”

In St. Louis, Ranken Technical College is working to ensure that the world’s best products will be Made in America by turning out a steady stream of graduates that provide local manufacturers, including those in the automotive, architecture, construction, electrical, and information technology industries, with the skilled workforce they need to succeed.

To support this critical local asset, last year EDA invested $2.3 million in Ranken to build an incubator facility that will support the region’s manufacturing sector by providing pre-apprentice and apprenticeship workforce training and encouraging entrepreneurial start-ups.

Last fall, construction commenced on a new 26,000 square-foot building to house Ranken's Manufacturing, Inc. incubator. Manufacturing, Inc. is designed to engage local manufacturing partners, provide students with work experience, industrial training and certifications, college credits and/or a part-time salary. EDA’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regional Affairs Dennis Alvord joined St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and Ranken Technical College officials for the groundbreaking ceremony.

It is anticipated that when fully operational, 100 student workers will generate $4 million annually in products and services for local businesses as part of the integrated work-based learning model. Manufacturing, Inc. is expected to open in the spring of 2019.