Photo: Contributed

Construction for a new $30-million industrial training and technology centre at Thompson Rivers University has begun.

A ground-breaking ceremony was held Thursday in Kamloops.

The 5,344-square-metre centre will allow the university to expand its trades and technology programs by an additional 550 full-time equivalent student spaces, for a total of 2,142.

The renovated space in the School of Trades and Technology Building will be used by the architectural and engineering technology program.

The federal government contributed $13.25 millio,n and the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education provided $7.03 million to the cost of the project. TRU and donors, including Western Economic Diversification Canada, contributed an additional $9.72 million.

Completion of the centre is expected in the spring of 2018 with occupancy in the fall of 2018. Construction of the new centre is expected to generate 108 direct and 82 indirect jobs for the region.