Marshall High School Principal Brian Jones was among the Marshall Public Schools staff on hand to answer questions and talk about the new Marshall Career and Technical Institute at a Tuesday open house. The CTI, located on North U.S. Highway 59 in Marshall, includes classroom, shop and lab space for classes in the automotive, welding and medical fields.

MARSHALL — It was a project that had been in the works for over two years. On Tuesday evening, members of the public finally got a chance to look inside Marshall Public Schools’ new Career and Technical Institute.

The response was a positive one.

“I think it’s great for the community, to have an avenue for kids to work on their skills,” said Brett Beernaert, one of the visitors at an open house for the Marshall Career and Technical Institute.

“It’s awesome,” said Gavin Seehusen. Seehusen, a student at Marshall Middle School, said he’s interested in taking welding courses like the ones offered at the CTI. “I would love to do something like this in my junior or senior year.”

MCTI, which is located along North U.S. Highway 59 in Marshall, was featured as part of the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Business After Hours” event Tuesday.

The CTI opened its doors to students on November 6. The facility includes classroom, lab and shop spaces for Certified Nursing Assistant, advanced automotive and advanced welding courses for high school students.

“It’s good to finally be on-site and in action,” said Amanda Pederson, assistant principal at MCTI. Currently, around 45 to 50 students a day attend classes at the CTI, although block scheduling limits the number of classes going on at the same time, she said. There are two CNA classes that meet at the CTI – one in the morning, and one in the afternoon – as well as one welding class and two automotive classes.

“(Students) are pretty excited to be out here,” Pederson said.

“Just having space for the kids to work, that’s the important part for me,” said MHS teacher Mike Braithwaite. “I think it’s been a really positive thing for them.”

The automotive shop at MCTI is able to accommodate more cars than the auto shop at the high school, he said. “We’ve had all sorts of different projects,” Braithwaite said. One group of students were working on replacing the engine of an old truck, while others were working on the suspension of a van provided by a local church.

Giving Marshall students a chance to explore different career paths and learn job skills is something the school district has been putting more emphasis on in recent years.

“We want kids to know what kind of employment they can have,” said MPS Superintendent Jeremy Williams.

Support from area businesses and community members has played a key role in helping make the MCTI a reality, Williams said. “Business owners are standing behind it, too, and saying ‘We want to be part of it.'”

In the long term, MPS hopes to be able to expand the class offerings at MCTI, Williams said. The medical lab area where CNA classes are held could also be used for other courses in the medical field. Williams said the district has also discussed the possibility of adding opportunities for students to learn about the construction trades, plumbing, and HVAC. The district and local businesses could also partner to provide learning opportunities outside the CTI.

Williams said it was good to see the positive response to the CTI at the open house. “It is fun to show this off,” he said.