Ben Franklin Institute Celebrates New Lab Openings

Three brand-new Electrical Technology labs and classrooms were officially opened Tuesday morning at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, ensuring student access to cutting-edge technology, school officials said.

Congressman Michael Capuano and state Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz attended Tuesday's ribbon cutting ceremony at the Berkeley Street campus, home to roughly 594 students. The private two-year college offers technical programs allowing students to earn bachelor or associate degrees along with certificates of specialized education.

The new, state-of-the-art facilities include an Electro-Mechanical Lab, Wiring Methods Lab and a Renewably Energy Lab that includes both lecture and lab space to train students in "emerging technologies like photovoltaic and wind power," the college wrote in a press release.

According to Professor Tracey Arvin, who chairs the Electrical Technologies Department, it is essential that students have access to modern technology in order to secure jobs in a rapidly changing field.

"Electricians today do a lot more than just hang pipe and pull wires," she said in the release. "These laboratories mean our graduates will be better prepared to perform installation and maintenance work on large complex jobs like the Cape Wind project."

A sizeable gift from Ben Franklin graduates George (class of 1950) and Melvin (class of 1942) Hurwitz of Broadway Electrical Company helped pay for the construction of the labs, which will serve about 67 students enrolled in the college's Electrical Technology Program. The program is the second largest at the college, second only to its Automotive Technology Program, and requires students to amass 600 classroom hours.