COLLINSVILLE – Community leaders came together to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Collinsville Area Vocational Center (CAVC) expansion.
On March 25, 2025, local elected officials, school administrators, educators and students commemorated the expansion with a groundbreaking ceremony at the construction site, located at the intersection of South Morrison and Caseyville Roads in Collinsville. The new CAVC will expand career and technical education (CTE) opportunities for students at ten Metro East high schools.
“This project represents the largest investment in career and tech ed in the State of Illinois since the 1970s. That is historic,” said Joe McGinnis, CAVC director. “The impact that it’s going to have on our local education, our local workforce, and for our local businesses is almost immeasurable.”
The CAVC serves Civic Memorial High School, Collinsville High School, Dupo High School, East Alton-Wood River High School, Edwardsville High School, Highland High School, Lebanon High School, Mascoutah High School, Roxana High School and Triad High School.
The current CAVC, located on the Collinsville High School campus, offers education in Agriculture & Landscape Management, Auto Body, Auto Mechanics, Building Trades, Electronics, Precision Machining, Welding, Clinical Health (CNA), Criminal Justice, Cosmetology, Cyber Security, Dental Assisting, Early Childhood Education, Food Service, and K-12 Teacher Prep.
McGinnis said there is “huge” interest in the CAVC, with 575 students currently enrolled in CAVC programs. The new CAVC expansion will introduce HVAC/R, Aviation Mechanics, Avionics, and EMT career pathways. Three additional programs will be named at a later date. Over 300 additional students will be able to enroll at the CAVC.
“We’re just excited about the future opportunities for our students,” said Dr. Brad Skertich, Collinsville Community Unit School District #10 superintendent. “That’s the most important thing. It’s not just about learning while in high school. It prepares them for a career that has great pay, great benefits, insurance, and it’s an economic driver not only for the area, but it’s an improvement for their families. And that’s what we want.”
Skertich noted that the project would not be possible without the local business owners and elected officials who advocated for the CAVC expansion. He thanked State Representative Katie Stuart for her support, including her role in securing a $25 million appropriation from the State of Illinois to pay for the CAVC construction.
“I’ve always supported CTE, have always stood behind it, know the value for our future, know the value for kids, and wish more kids could be able to participate,” Stuart said. “We have businesses that are ready and willing and are going to put state-of-the-art equipment into this building and fix up the existing space over on the other side of the street so that these kids are not only prepared for the general idea of great jobs in the future, but the literal jobs that exist right here, so they can stay in our community and grow our community.”
McGinnis added that the CAVC program is a “great opportunity” for local juniors and seniors, and he is proud to offer it to ten Metro East high schools. He also thanked the businesses and organizations who were present at the groundbreaking ceremony, including McKay Napa Auto Parts, Trane, Anderson Hospital, Petroff Companies, Madison County Sheriffs and Holland Construction, who have pledged to donate equipment to the CAVC.
“The big thing that we pride ourselves on is our business relationships. That’s what was seen very well here today, all the local businesses. And the reason they show up and they value this is because we’re providing them their next employees,” he added. “At the end of the day, that’s our goal. We want all the local communities that we serve to thrive.”
The final project is projected to cost $21,454,783. An additional $3,082,831 will go toward renovations of the existing CAVC building.
FGM Architects designed the building, and Holland Construction will serve as the construction manager. The goal is to complete construction by April 2026.
