HASTINGS, Neb.— Central Community College in Hastings will be advancing their automotive careers training center after receiving a $20,000 donation. 

The Nebraska Rod and Custom Association earmarked the funds for the construction of the $23 million, 42,000-square-foot facility. It 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. 

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 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.”

Executive director of the CCC Foundation Traci Skalberg is excited to use funding like this towards the advancement of this degree at CCC.

“We are profoundly grateful for NRCA’s leadership and their belief in the power of education,” Skalberg said. “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.”

Construction is scheduled to be completed in late 2026 or early 2027.

The NRCA, comprised of nearly 1,800 members across Nebraska, have a common interest in special interest vehicles such as antique automobiles, street rods, classic cars and traditional hot rods and trucks. 

The NRCA also gives scholarships to automotive technology students who attend any Nebraska technical and community colleges.