THIS Friday, Northern Marianas Technical Institute will break ground on a new five-building facility in Koblerville to house classrooms, working labs, and an administration building, according to Outreach Coordinator Ben Babauta.
Variety spoke to Babauta about the scheduled construction, which includes three buildings of approximately 6,000 square feet and two buildings of about 4,300 square feet each. NMTech will host a special groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, July 11, from 3 to 5 p.m., which the public is invited to attend. The new campus will be located adjacent to the Koblerville soccer pitch.
Babauta said the expansion will allow NMTech to teach more students in trades that are in demand locally.
“We can have better planning, increase enrollment, increase production and activity, and maximize our capabilities,” Babauta said. “Right now we’re limited with space. When that training facility opens, we can double enrollment and have multiple classes running at the same time.”
According to figures from the CNMI Department of Labor, the top five job vacancy announcements from 2020 to 2023 were all in the trades. In 2023 alone, 8,831 positions were listed under “construction and extraction” jobs — the highest among all categories. The second highest was “installation, maintenance, and repair” jobs, at 4,902. Food preparation and personal care services were also among the top five job listings.
NMTech currently certifies tradesmen and tradeswomen in a variety of fields, including carpentry, construction craft labor, electrical, HVAC, masonry, power generation maintenance electrical, welding, cosmetology, culinary arts, baking and pastry, and automotive technology, among others.
Babauta said that with a larger student body comes a greater need for instructors. He noted that seven part-time instructors were recently hired by the CNMI’s lone trade school. NMTech is “always looking for new teachers,” he said, especially with the expansion project moving forward.
He also confirmed that NMTech’s Sadog Tasi facility will remain open even after the Koblerville campus is completed. Some students — particularly those in introductory trades courses — may continue attending classes at the northern campus, while more advanced students preparing to enter the workforce will receive hands-on training in Koblerville.
The project is expected to be completed by November 2026 or later.
Babauta said Friday’s groundbreaking will feature “interactive demos,” food vendors, an RV sandbox for guests, and renderings of the new campus.
