The Jim Kelley Pathway Career Center held its Grand Opening today for the public, with local leaders and board members speaking at the event. The new building is a 13,000-square-foot facility with hands-on, innovative labs to educate in multiple career paths, including automotive, manufacturing, construction trades, IT, and Health Sciences.

“We have some great instructors. We have some great programs,” says Tom Kelley, President of Kelley Automotive and Board Member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne.

“The first people who came knocking on my door were the tradespeople. There are plentiful jobs. If our students know about them, we have some great programs that occur at this facility. We need to provide them with experiences so they can go into businesses and absolutely have the best chance to enter but also advance with a livable wage. That's huge. It takes all of us to truly make a difference. And we’re well on our way.”

Joe Jordan, President and CEO, said, “This [building] is just one example of how, when we all come together, we can make a difference in kids’ lives and break the cycle of poverty. One child takes advantage of this opportunity, and it changes the direction of their family.”

Businesses and schools were also encouraged to play a vital role in the new facility during the event.

“You've heard about Fort Wayne Community Schools, but we also have some additional partnerships that will help us,” says Joe Jordan.

“We want businesses. We want employers to come to us and say, ‘Hey Joe, if you can teach this to the kids, this fundamental entry-level skill, then they can have a leg up.’”