Levelland is getting a new place to train truck drivers, police officers and other workers. South Plains College will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Workforce Training Center at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 1907 Progressive Place in the Levelland Industrial Rail Park.
What’s being built
According to a news release from SPC, the center will house the college’s truck driving courses, police vehicle training and other workforce programs.
Right now SPC’s Professional Truck Driving School operates at the college’s Reese Center campus in west Lubbock. The college describes the program as state-award-winning. The new building will bring that training to Levelland, home of SPC’s main campus.
“The Workforce Training Center is integral to bringing the SPC truck driving program to the City of Levelland and providing a well-equipped space for our police vehicle training,” SPC President Dr. Robin Satterwhite said in the release. “Without the support of LEDC and EDA, this project would not be possible. The facility is a perfect example of a partnership that will benefit our students and the community.”
Who’s paying for it
According to SPC and the Levelland & Hockley County News-Press, the project is funded by a $1.45 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and $1.5 million from the Levelland Economic Development Corporation.
The Levelland EDC describes the Industrial Rail Park as a 243-acre industrial park with rail-served and non-rail-served sites. Putting a training center there places students near the kinds of employers the park is meant to attract.
Why it matters
Commercial drivers keep the South Plains economy moving. They haul cotton to gins and warehouses, deliver grain to elevators and bring goods to stores from Plainview to Slaton. SPC’s current driver training page describes a CDL-A course of five days in the classroom and 15 days in the cab, on a closed course and public roads. The school is a licensed third-party testing site with the Texas Department of Public Safety, so written and skills tests can be done on-site.
Police vehicle training is just as hands-on, and it needs space that a typical classroom building can’t provide.
The sources we reviewed did not include a construction timeline or an opening date for the center.
If you go
- What: Groundbreaking for the SPC Workforce Training Center
- When: 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28
- Where: 1907 Progressive Place, Levelland Industrial Rail Park
More at SPC this week
The Levelland campus has a busy week. According to the Levelland & Hockley County News-Press, SPC’s free Outdoor Music Show with Atlas in Orbit is at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, in the Creative Arts Building parking lot, and a free Spooktacular Carnival is at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Student Center. Check SPC’s event listings before you go in case weather changes the plans.
Sources
- South Plains College newsroom, groundbreaking release (Oct. 19, 2026): https://www.southplainscollege.edu/newsroom/SPCWTCgroundbreaking.php
- Levelland & Hockley County News-Press: https://www.levellandnews.net/news/us-eda-levelland-edc-fund-construction-spc-workforce-training-center
- SPC Reese Center campus page: https://www.southplainscollege.edu/about/campus_locations/reesecenter.php
- SPC Professional Driver Training page: https://southplainscollege.edu/community/continuinged/drivertraining.php
- Levelland Economic Development Corporation: https://golevelland.com/
