The future of WyoTech, the automotive school in Laramie, has been in limbo for five months, following the Zenith Education Group’s announcement it would be downsizing. But lawmakers have earmarked $5 million in the budget bill to help WyoTech stay open under new management.
Laramie County Community College President Joe Schaffer said he’s optimistic lawmakers will approve those funds as they wrap up the 2018 Budget Session. Schaffer said LCCC has already put forward a proposal to take over WyoTech and has been negotiating with Zenith to get equipment donated. But the Wyoming Business Council is also soliciting proposals from private enterprises to take over the school.
Schaffer said LCCC has a vision that will benefit the local economy, as well as statewide workforce development. “Those programs: automotive tech, diesel technology, and some of the opportunities for new programs,” Schaffer said, are, “at the heart of where Wyoming is growing and where we need to invest to build a workforce for the future.”
The Wyoming Business Council has until April 1, according to Schaffer, to vet proposals and make a recommendation to Governor Matt Mead, who will ultimately decide how to use the $5 million to support the future of WyoTech.