Gilbane has started construction on a new Career and Technical Education Center for Orange County Public Schools in central Virginia, under a design-build contract valued at $22 million.
The center will be built on the Orange County High School campus and is designed to expand student access to training tied to in-demand careers. The program list includes skilled trades and technical pathways, including nursing, agriculture, robotics, culinary arts, cybersecurity, automotive technology, HVAC, carpentry, and masonry.
For mason contractors, masonry being part of the curriculum matters. It signals that local leaders are investing in hands-on trade education that feeds the workforce pipeline. As contractors across the United States keep pushing to find and keep qualified craft workers, school-based training programs like this one create a direct link between classrooms and jobsites.
Orange County’s new CTE building is also sized to handle steady daily use. The district expects the center to serve 200 students during each instructional block, with 400 to 600 students moving through the facility across the school day. The project replaces older instructional spaces with one centralized location that brings multiple programs under one roof.
Gilbane is delivering the project with design-build partners RRMM Architects and Timmons Group. Construction will be coordinated so the high school campus can stay operational during the work, with an emphasis on student safety and limiting disruption to day-to-day activities.
Read the full, original article from Construction Owners here.