The Campaign for the Eastside Training Center
In January 2025, Clover Park Technical College opened the Eastside Training Center in an empty warehouse in East Tacoma. Residents now train there for well-paying jobs in the skilled trades. Opportunity Lives Here is a $6.5 million campaign to buy the building and keep the center in the neighborhood for good.
What the center does for the Eastside
The ETC offers short-term training for careers in an industry that can't find enough workers.
Careers for residents
Young adults and mid-career workers get a direct route into stable, well-paid trade jobs.
A building back in use
A warehouse that sat empty is now full of students and instructors, and it's drawing new development to the area.
Workers for employers
Construction companies that are struggling to hire get a steady supply of trained workers.
From 4 students to more than 300
The ETC sits at McKinley Avenue and East 60th Street in a building that used to be a cabinet factory. Students earn certificates in Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Low-Voltage Electricity and Construction. There's also a high school completion track.
CPTC leases the building today. The program has grown fast enough that the college now plans to buy it.
“The community told us loud and clear that they didn’t want something that would be gone in five years. As building owners, we can make sure that we are here for the long run. Getting this building purchased and the program operating at full capacity is my top priority.”
Where the money goes
The campaign goal is $6.5 million. CPTC will match every dollar donated, which covers the full $13 million.
CPTC is part of Washington's public higher education system. Once the college has owned the building for six years, the state pays for its upkeep. Your gift goes toward buying the building, not toward maintenance.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Purchase of the building | $12,200,000 |
| Initial renovations | $800,000 |
| Total | $13,000,000 |
| Source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Clover Park Technical College | $6,500,000 |
| Opportunity Lives Here campaign | $6,500,000 |
| Total | $13,000,000 |
The trades need these workers
of Washington construction firms are having trouble filling craft trade positions. The shortages are worst in HVAC, electrical and construction, the same three programs the ETC teaches.
Source: Associated General Contractors of Washington
“In the trades, you have two things converging at once: First, the workforce is aging as part of the overall ‘silver tsunami.’ Second, we have a lack of young people being trained to fill the gap.”
Why the Eastside
Before opening the ETC, the college used a Community Vibrancy Framework to ask a simple question: who in our service area could use our programs but isn't making it to campus, and why?
“The Eastside stood out because of its population and lack of efficient transportation to our Lakewood campus.”
Young adults out of work and school
Katie Condit, CEO of Workforce Central and an advisor to the ETC, says the Eastside has one of the highest concentrations of “disconnected young adults” in Pierce County. These are people ages 18 to 24 who aren't in school, working or in job training. Workforce Central connects job seekers with training programs and employers.
“The Eastside is a community looking for ways to improve its standard of living. It has a source of motivated students, both young adults and people in mid-career.”
“The Eastside community asked us to move at the speed of trust rather than at the speed of an institution. This means we are building in continuous community feedback so that the program mix evolves with the neighborhood.”
A permanent part of the neighborhood
If the campaign reaches its goal, the ETC stays on the Eastside for good.
Tacoma City Councilmember Sandesh Sadalge represents the Eastside. He knocked on 4,000 doors in the district while campaigning and heard about the ETC again and again.
“Over and over again, I heard how happy and proud people were to see what could have become another abandoned building turned into a training center. This is definitely a big win for the community.”
In their words
ETC students come from all kinds of backgrounds. Most are here for the same reason: a steady job and a paycheck they can count on.
“One of the best skills I’ve learned here is to fail faster. I’m learning not to be scared to attempt to do something, because that is how you learn. When you see the finished product, it gives you a sense of pride.”
“Being someone who is a little older, I needed a program that allowed me the flexibility to both learn and take care of my other responsibilities. The center allows me that flexibility.”
“I like that this is a hands-on program. For someone like me, that is the most important part of learning.”
How to give
The Clover Park Technical College Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 91-1565219), runs the campaign. Gifts to Opportunity Lives Here are tax-deductible.
To talk about a gift from you, your company or your foundation, contact Cathy Purcella, Executive Director of the CPTC Foundation, at cathy.purcella@cptc.edu or 253-589-5545.
One-time gifts
Make a single gift to the campaign.
Pledges
Spread your gift over as many as five years.
Donor-advised funds
Recommend a grant to the campaign from your donor-advised fund.
Gifts of stock
Giving appreciated stock can come with extra tax advantages.
