By KALEY CONNER

kconner@dailynews.net

The first day of school is only a week away, and North Central Kansas Technical College soon will open the doors of its new Big Creek Campus.

Final details, such as replacing ceiling tiles and hanging new lights, were in the works last week, but the former Army Reserve Center already seems to be taking on a new identity.

"Just the quality of the craftsmanship that's been put into it -- the paint, the carpet, the new tiles and lighting -- has changed the way the whole building looks," said NCKTC President Clark Coco. "We want it to speak for itself when people walk in the front door."

A partnership with the city of Hays has enabled the college to expand to the Main Street building, which will house several programs. On the slate for fall semester, which begins Aug. 24, are carpentry and cabinet making, plumbing/heating/air-conditioning, and commercial driver's license programs.

A soft skills program, new to the college's curriculum, will begin in September and teach students marketable employment traits.

The college's electrical program has been moved to the new site, with the addition of a second year to the curriculum.

That will enable more students to stay close to home when completing their associate's degree, which is the college's ultimate ambition, Coco said.

"Our goal is to take the student who is from this area, train them, and keep them in this area," he said. "That's good for all of us."

The college already has seen significant growth, and administrators are hoping the trend will continue.

For the first time in NCKTC's history, enrollment is expected to exceed a full-time equivalency of 600 students, when the college's Hays and Beloit campuses are combined.

In Hays alone, that number is about 320, including full-time and part-time students. Due to a boost in course offerings, more students are attending for pre-requisite courses, said Don Benjamin, dean of the Hays campus.

In the past few years alone, enrollment has jumped nearly 100 students, he said. This could be, in part, because of a struggling economy and non-traditional students needing to retrain for another career.

"We have a lot more adults on this campus than they do in Beloit," Benjamin said. "Many of those are retooling for another career."

An additional five full-time employees will be hired to staff the new campus.

The city will retain ownership of the building, but all remodeling costs are the college's responsibility. NCKTC will not pay monthly rent but has agreed to provide student labor for city construction projects.

By gaining the 20,000-square-foot facility, the college now has room to grow on its main campus and plans to expand general education courses and other medical fields, Benjamin said.

"The square footage gives us the opportunity to offer more options for students in the Hays area, and also the visibility," he said. "Hopefully, the number of students that it brings to the downtown area should have a positive effect on the businesses down there."

The college will celebrate its new campus, located at 101 Main, with an open house from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday. The public is welcome to attend.