Building Rhode Islands Future

Where innovation meets opportunity.

From her office window at CCRI's Knight Campus, President Rosemary Costigan can see the spot where she hopes the next chapter of the college's history will rise.

Today, it is an unassuming patch of land surrounded by parking lots and pavement.

Tomorrow, it could become a place where lives change.

A veteran launches a new career. A first-generation college student discovers a calling. A parent gains the skills needed to provide a better future for their family.

In Costigan's mind, those stories have already begun.

The site she envisions will one day be home to CCRI's proposed Workforce Innovation Center, a transformative project designed to expand the college's capacity to educate, train, and upskill Rhode Islanders for careers in some of the state's most critical and fastest-growing industries.

"This is about creating opportunities for Rhode Islanders," Costigan said. "It's about ensuring that students, workers, and employers have access to the education and training they need to succeed in a rapidly changing economy. The Workforce Innovation Center will allow CCRI to meet workforce demands today while preparing for the jobs of tomorrow."

This November, Rhode Island voters will have the opportunity to help make that vision a reality when they consider a Higher Education General Obligation Bond package that includes $60 million for the construction of the Workforce Innovation Center at CCRI.

For Costigan, however, the proposal is about much more than a building. It is about positioning CCRI for the future.

For more than 60 years, CCRI has transformed lives through affordable education, workforce training, and pathways to economic mobility. Today, as industries evolve and technology reshapes the workplace, the college is increasingly called upon to prepare workers for careers in advanced manufacturing, healthcare, construction and trades, information technology, cybersecurity, transportation and logistics, clean energy, and other emerging fields.

The Workforce Innovation Center represents CCRI's response to that challenge.

Located at the Knight Campus in Warwick, the approximately 44,000-square-foot facility will serve as a regional hub for workforce education, career training, and industry collaboration. Developed in consultation with employers, industry associations, economic development leaders, and workforce partners, the center has been intentionally designed to align with Rhode Island's workforce needs today while remaining flexible enough to meet the demands of tomorrow.

At the heart of the building will be more than 22,000 square feet of industry-standard labs and shop space, representing half of the facility's footprint and nearly two-thirds of its volume. Another 12,000 square feet will be dedicated to classrooms, while nearly 10,000 square feet will support offices, conference rooms, student services, and collaboration spaces.

Rather than traditional classroom-only instruction, students will learn in hands-on environments that mirror the workplaces they will enter after graduation. Advanced manufacturing labs, construction and trades training areas, simulation spaces, information technology and cybersecurity learning environments, and flexible instructional areas will allow the college to adapt quickly as workforce needs evolve.

"Our vision is to create a facility that brings education, industry, and workforce development together under one roof," Costigan said. "The Workforce Innovation Center will provide students with access to state-of-the-art equipment and hands-on experiences while creating opportunities for employers to partner directly with CCRI in developing the workforce they need."

The Workforce Innovation Center is being designed not simply to meet today's workforce needs, but to anticipate tomorrow's.

Across Rhode Island, employers are struggling to find workers with the technical skills needed to fill positions in manufacturing, construction, healthcare, information technology, transportation and logistics, and emerging industries. At the same time, more Rhode Islanders are seeking short-term training, industry credentials, apprenticeships, and career pathways that lead directly to family-sustaining wages.

• Expand high-demand training
• Accelerate short-term credential attainment
• Employer-aligned labs, simulation spaces and classrooms

Costigan sees CCRI uniquely positioned to bridge that gap.

"Community colleges sit at the intersection of education and workforce," she said. "We hear directly from employers about their needs, and we hear directly from students about their goals. Our responsibility is to bring those two together."

For Costigan, the Workforce Innovation Center represents the next evolution of that mission.

The center will create space for new programs, expanded partnerships, and additional opportunities for students to gain the hands-on experience employers increasingly demand. Just as importantly, it will create capacity for the college to respond quickly as workforce needs change over time.

The impact of that work can be profound.

Analysis conducted during the planning process found that graduates of programs such as CCRI's CNC Manufacturing Certificate and Maritime Electrician training can realize more than $1 million in increased lifetime earnings compared to workers without those credentials.

For Costigan, those numbers tell a much larger story.

"When I look at this project, I don't think about square footage," she said. "I think about the people whose lives will be different because of what happens inside this building."

She thinks about the student who becomes the first in their family to earn a credential. The worker who gains new skills and earns a promotion. The parent who secures a better-paying job and greater stability for their family.

"That's the return on investment," Costigan said. "That's what this center is really about."

The proposal has received tremendous support from employers, labor organizations, economic development leaders, elected officials, and workforce partners across Rhode Island who recognize the critical role CCRI plays in strengthening the state's economy.

Among the project's strongest advocates is Michael Sabitoni, Business Manager of the Rhode Island Laborers' District Council and a proud CCRI alumnus.

"As a CCRI graduate, I've seen firsthand the impact this college has on people's lives," Sabitoni said. "CCRI creates opportunity. It helps people build careers, support families, and contribute to their communities. The Workforce Innovation Center will strengthen that mission and help ensure Rhode Island has the skilled workforce our economy needs."

For Sabitoni, the center represents an investment not only in students, but in the state's long-term economic competitiveness.

"Whether it's construction, manufacturing, clean energy, transportation, or emerging industries, employers need talent," he said. "CCRI has proven it can deliver, and this center will allow the college to do even more."

For CCRI alumni, the Workforce Innovation Center represents something deeply familiar: Opportunity.

Generations of students have come to CCRI seeking a better future — for themselves, for their families, and for their communities. The proposed center builds upon that legacy and ensures that future generations will have access to the skills, credentials, and training needed to thrive in an increasingly complex economy.

Ultimately, Costigan believes the decision before Rhode Islanders is not about concrete, steel, or square footage.

It is about people.

"When we invest in education and workforce development, we invest in the future of Rhode Island," she said. "The Workforce Innovation Center will help transform lives, strengthen communities, and create opportunities for generations to come."

This November, Rhode Islanders will have the opportunity to help write the next chapter in CCRI's story by supporting the Higher Education Bond and voting yes for the future of Rhode Island.