LUMA College today celebrated the grand opening of its new campus in Canovanas, a historic investment in the training and education of the next generation of public servants in Puerto Rico. LUMA’s new 24-string facility has 18,000 square feet of facilities, including the only transmission and distribution laboratory in the Caribbean. This laboratory is the fifth of its kind in the United States to provide hands-on training for health workers. It also includes a 10-string training range, a training center and classrooms offering courses in skilled labour, technical safety and lineman leadership training. There are additional rooms for future expansion of the facility.

“The education we provide to our students and future workers in Puerto Rico is based on global industry best practices. The educational programs offered by LUMA College for Technical Training make it easy to attract a diverse and highly skilled workforce to restore our island’s electrical system,” Juan Vargas, president of LUMA College, said in a written statement.

Training is already being conducted in the new institution. It said 44 students will graduate next week, joining more than 3,000 utility workers trained in various programs and courses at LUMA College since 2021. LUMA’s parent companies, Quanta and ATCO, provided $12.5 million to fully fund construction of the new facility.

“We are extremely proud to have a diverse and growing workforce in Puerto Rico that is helping us build a more sustainable and reliable electric system for our 1.5 million customers,” said Wayne Stansby, LUMA President and CEO. “We look forward to continuing our alliance with LUMA College to together train the next generation workforce for Puerto Rico and grow the electrical industry here in Puerto Rico.”