Fresno City College West Fresno Center complete

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Dozens cheered on the completion of Fresno City College West Fresno Center Thursday morning.

"This 110-thousand square feet is fully dedicated to helping students turn their dreams into college and career realities, acting as a future catalyst for future growth of this valley, the city and West Fresno," Chancellor, State Center Community College District, Dr. Carole Goldsmith said.

The campus has an academic building that opened in August of 2023 with around 1,000 students and a new advanced transportation building.

That advanced transportation center houses all automotive classes with over 100 students beginning classes earlier this month.

"In comparison to the main campus located at Blackstone and McKinley, this facility is at church and walnut is three times the size," Instructor coordinator for the Advanced Transportation Center at Fresno City College's West Fresno Campus, Marty Kamimoto said.

The students who train here get hands-on experience with vehicles from major companies.

That includes GM, Stellantis, Ford, Subaru, Toyota, and Honda.

"If you're looking to be a mechanic, I really inspire a lot of people to come over here," West Fresno Center student, Andrew Flores said. "The work that comes after the program is super well worth it. It's the ability to pick you up and put you wherever you really want to be in life."

"I have graduates that have gone through the program, got their certification, got their OEM training and they're making over $100,000 a year," Kamimoto added.

Around 80% of West Fresno Center students are from the surrounding neighborhoods with Edison and Washington Union high schools at the highest enrollment rate.

"This campus is designed to transform the West Fresno community it is designed to transform the lives of people that are often times underserved that come from neighborhoods that are often times underprivileged," Fresno Mayor, Jerry Dyer said.

Dyer went on to explain that the campus brings in new opportunities for housing, retail, restaurants and an economic rebound for West Fresno.

There is open land at West Fresno Center for a possible expansion in the future, but as of right now there are no specific plans for expanding.

Students may still be able to enroll in the back nine weeks of classes this semester, which start in March.

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