CCC Receives $20K from NRCA
HASTINGS, Neb. – A Nebraska-based nonprofit organization has donated $20,000 to Central Community College.
The Nebraska Rod and Custom Association (NRCA) earmarked the funds for the construction of the automotive careers training center at CCC-Hastings. The $23 million, 42,000-square-foot facility will be home to CCC's auto body technology and automotive technology programs. The new center will replace an 80-year-old building and feature five classrooms, a welding lab, a parts and tools suite, and oils and liquid storage. Construction is scheduled to be completed in late 2026 or early 2027.
The NRCA is comprised of nearly 1,800 members across Nebraska who have a common interest in special interest vehicles such as antique automobiles, street rods, classic cars and traditional hot rods and trucks. NRCA members Lin Hoskins and Brad Kernick presented the check to Hastings Campus administrators and several CCC students in both programs. Both Hoskins and Kernick said the donation is about the future of the automotive industry.
“The average age of an automotive tech now is about 56 years old, so that means before long they’re going to be hanging up their hats and retiring,” said Hoskins, who was a student at CCC in 1967 when the school was known as Central Nebraska Technical Community College. “That’s why there is such a need for the young people to get in and learn these automotive skills.”
“The technology is changing so rapidly. Even the technology on the (car) bodies is so much different than what it used to be,” Kernick said. “These young people are learning all that new technology so that they can work on those types of vehicles. It’s a never-ending wheel and we support it 110 percent.”
The NRCA also gives scholarships to automotive technology students who attend any Nebraska technical and community colleges. This year, the organization will fund eight to 10 scholarships, each worth $2,000.
“We are profoundly grateful for NRCA’s leadership and their belief in the power of education,” said Traci Skalberg, executive director of the CCC Foundation. “This gift accelerates our work to ensure students have the best facilities and training possible, and it reflects NRCA’s long-standing commitment to the future of the automotive industry in Nebraska.”