Santa Fe College Expands Automotive Program with New Gainesville, Florida, Training Center

A groundbreaking ceremony was recently held for a new automotive technology training center in Gainesville, Florida, reports The Independent Florida Alligator.

Faculty and city officials recently gathered for the ceremony, celebrating Santa Fe College’s new automotive technology training center, located at the college’s Blount Center in downtown Gainesville.

Spanning 17,200 square feet, the facility is an extension of the school’s existing Northwest Campus. Lisa Brosky, Santa Fe’s associate vice president of marketing and communications, said that in its previous state, the campus had insufficient space for students of modern-day vehicle technology. 

Developed by faculty and staff alongside automotive industry professionals, the automotive technology center will feature classrooms that are connected to teaching bays for hands-on demonstration. Students will have access to parts, tools, vehicle repair lifts, and virtual simulators.

According to Santa Fe College, associate degree graduates of the school’s automotive service management technology program are seeing a 100% job placement rate. With the expansion, the current associate’s degree program capacity will be able to serve up to 60 students per semester.

“It’s really exciting to see how much they’re putting into the young people to be successful in this trade,” said Samantha Casali, a 25-year-old graduate. Casali has helped teach students in the program through her current role at Parks Ford of Gainesville: a business partnering with the college.

The campus extension will also bring with it improvements to the college’s sidewalks, better connecting them to nearby routes, as well as an increase in green spaces for students. The automotive technology training center is expected to open to students in Fall 2027.

“It’s our next step in our commitment to the community and our commitment to changing people’s lives,” said Santa Fe College President Paul Broadie. “We want to position our students for the opportunity to take advantage of those lucrative careers in the automotive industry.”