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During the construction phase, the Gorsich Advanced Technology Center at Pueblo Community College was equipped with the most highly sophisticated technological infrastructure containing a telecommunications network called the Workforce Connection Center. It was designed with distance learning capabilities to utilize multimedia technology to help train industry employees as well as students.
 Because such technology is crucial to meeting the needs of regional industries and schools, the GATC has had a significant impact on the distance-learning capabilities offered by the college. Specifically, the GATC contains multimedia-equipped classrooms and resource laboratories, video production equipment, and computer labs. There also are CAD/CAM labs, a computer-networking lab for building and testing prototype products, and a lab for rapid product development and manufacturing simulations that are a part of employee training.
The GATC uses multimedia technology to facilitate learning by permitting the delivery of live interactive classroom experiences from high-tech labs to businesses, rural communities and high schools. This allow seminars, courses and workshops to be transmitted directly to the workplace or the school classroom. A Technology Theater in the GATC supports interactive telecommunications to provide training that was previously unavailable to many small- and medium-sized businesses in this region.
In addition, a partnership that has taken many forms over the years between PCC and the US West Corporation provided for the installation of a separate computer lab to be used to provide Internet training to business and industry and to the Pueblo community. Finally, the Tech Center allows for the combining of CD-ROM instruction, rapid product development, interactive computer simulation and interactive telecourses through a photonics wireless network. |