SANFORD — Three years ago, in a 7,000-squarefoot space in one of south Sanford’s industrial parks, York County Community College started a precision machine technology program.

And it blossomed. Those involved say the graduates were snapped up by industries eager to hire well-trained, skilled workers.

Recently, the program has moved into space almost three times the size – a 20,000-square-foot building at 60 Community Drive, located in the same industrial park.

YCCC President Barbara Finkelstein said the college is applying for grants to help launch new programs that include 3D manufacturing, robotics and the like. The college hopes to launch a new two-year degree program in 2017, if funds allow.

And YCCC has developed a good relationship with Sanford Regional Technical Center, where a dozen students are enrolled in the first two courses of the precision machining technology program.

With an overall county unemployment rate of 3.2 percent in July, employers from Old Orchard Beach to Kittery and well inland are looking for trained workers, whether they’re engaged in the hospitality industry or manufacturing.

“We’re trying to meet the needs of industry,” said Paula Gagnon, vice president and dean of academic affairs at YCCC. She said the college is reaching out to the Manufacturers Association of Maine and others for their support.

In the new Sanford space, there are 22 students in the precision machining associate degree program and 20 in the certificate program. Students are also being trained in non-credit courses through a contract program with area manufacturers.

One of them, Corning International, picked its Kennebunk plant for a pilot training program, said Gagnon. Pratt & Whitney in nearby North Berwick has contracted with the college to train workers too.

“Being within the 600 acres of industrial and commercial property in south Sanford means YCCC has easy access to the many manufacturers operating there,” said Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council Director Jim Nimon.

He said many of those companies are in growth mode now.

“YCCC is playing a critical role in meeting with these companies to understand their needs and prepare the right training opportunities for our immediate and future workforce,” Nimon said in an email. “The growth council is thrilled that YCCC is enhancing its ability to be of great service to Sanford-based companies and the graduates who will work there.”

As more funding becomes available, YCCC may offer English and other courses in Sanford so students who live in the city or in rural towns could take them locally, rather than driving to Wells.

The expansion in Sanford isn’t the only sign of growth at the 20-year-old college. At the main campus in Wells, contractors have hung the steel for a new building that will provide much-needed classroom space, a lecture hall and more.

The walls will be up by the time the end of November rolls around, and crews will move inside to complete the interior during the winter, said Finkelstein.

The original Wells campus building was designed for 1,100 students, but the community college served 1,758 last year. Finkelstein noted that some students were in Sanford and others study online, but still, most attended classes in Wells.

A new gerontology program debuted in Wells this fall, in which students can take on campus or online.

And those in the hospitality industry and looking for workers can take heart too – a new two-year program in hospitality and tourism management kicks off Oct. 11, the day after Columbus Day, when a lull in the tourist industry begins.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.