The City of Moreno Valley and Moreno Valley College celebrated the official unveiling of the iMAKE Innovation Mobile Center, a creative space designed to fuel imaginations and ingenuity.
The project is a joint venture between the City and the college, further showcasing the partnership the two entities have formed to help prepare Moreno Valley residents for jobs of the future and address critical workforce development needs.
The iMAKE Innovation Mobile Center, also known as a Makerspace, is a 37-foot RV that houses a variety of creative tools including laser cutters, 3-D printers, art supplies, and electronics labs for MVC students to use.
Moreno Valley College is one of 24 colleges to receive a California Community College Maker Implementation Grant from the California Community College Chancellor's Office.
The $100,000 grant, which is renewable for a second year, was awarded to the college to help create an inclusive makerspace community, provide internships, and develop a curriculum to prepare students with innovation and entrepreneurial skills to thrive in the regional economy.
"Makerspaces encourage hands-on collaboration and cooperation in a way that isn’t possible in a traditional classroom,” said Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez. “Our partnership with Moreno Valley College is helping to educate, train and inspire the leaders of our future.”
The Makerspace will assist students, faculty and staff to interact on shared interests, learn to use tools, make class projects, and develop knowledge through exploration and hands-on experiences.
T
he Mobile Center will also be available to visit businesses, schools, community groups and events to help engage students and makers throughout the City.
"Everyone needs a little inspiration in their career journey and this grant provides students with experiences beyond the classroom, opportunities to explore careers, and learn through real-world scenarios,” said Moreno Valley College President Dr. Robin Steinback.
The Makerspace is just the latest project the City and Moreno Valley College have partnered on to attract jobs, increase the quality of life for residents, encourage student achievement, and incentivize businesses to promote the hiring of local graduates.
“This is such an exciting time to be here, to see our City grow into the wonderful and prosperous place of the future,” Mayor Pro Tem Victoria Baca told the crowd at Thursday’s ribbon cutting. “It is even more exciting to witness the unfolding of these ideas brought on with an optimism that will make them truly take flight, and especially to see it done with the hands and the minds of our very own students.”
