NMTech staff and supporters break ground at the new Workforce Career Training Facility in Koblerville on Friday, July 11, 2025.
THE new Northern Marianas Technical Institute Workforce Career Training Facility broke ground on Adobu Drive in Koblerville on Friday with a formal ceremony attended by NMTech staff and island dignitaries.
According to John Saludas, president of HPR Construction, the contractor for the project, the $8.6 million facility will consist of five pre-engineered steel structures. One of these will serve as the administration building, which will also house the culinary program’s kitchen and a dining facility.
HPR will also construct classroom and lab buildings for automotive, carpentry, electronics, plumbing, electrical, HVAC and welding courses.
The automotive building will feature a rain catchment system that collects water into a 10,000-gallon underground tank.
Mezzanine levels will be incorporated into the electronics, plumbing, and electrical buildings, as well as the automotive building.
Additional construction includes asphalt parking lots and a housing unit for the campus generator.
“This isn’t just the beginning of a building project — it’s the beginning of a bold new chapter for education, opportunity, and growth in the CNMI,” Saludas said.
Vegetation clearing is expected to be completed this week, and excavation will begin shortly afterward, Saludas added.
Ben Babuata, NMTech marketing and outreach coordinator, said the creation of the new campus is a major step forward for the Marianas.
“Today isn’t just about turning soil; it’s about turning the page to a future full of opportunity, growth, skills, and power for our islands,” he said. “We’re not just building buildings — we’re building futures in the trades here in the Marianas. This campus will be a launchpad for doers, dreamers, and makers.”
Jodina Attao, NMTech CEO, expressed gratitude for the support she has received from her staff, the NMTech Board of Trustees, and the Guam Contractors Association throughout the institute’s development. In her remarks, she reflected on the adversity NMTech has faced as the only trade school in the CNMI.
“Thank you, team, for having my back,” she said in an emotional moment. “I am just so blessed. From Post-it paper and Sharpies, to revamping our enrollment processes, figuring out course schedules, providing student support, helping instructors grow professionally, putting systems in place … killing fires and starting fires under me … internal audits and controls, campus cleanups … we survived austerity hours. We worked with little to almost no budget, announced this project for bid, then had to rescind it. We’ve kept NMTech running with a very lean team — still fully operational, still serving, and still rising despite our circumstances.”
Attao said the new campus is part of NMTech’s continued journey, but added that a stronger CNMI will require community support.
“The truth is, buildings don’t create change — people do. If we want to build a stronger CNMI, it’s going to take all of us: educators, businesses, families, policymakers — working together to ensure that this space becomes a launchpad for local talent, trades, and transformation,” she said. “So let this groundbreaking be more than a ceremonial moment; let it be a promise that no matter how dire things get for the CNMI, we’ll keep building, keep investing, and keep showing up for the future of our islands.”
The current NMTech campus in Sadog Tasi will remain open even after the southern campus is completed. The new facility will expand the institute’s capacity to provide career and technical education in the trades.
