DOVER — According to Delaware State University, Dover now has a state-of-the-art technology center that will host “technology focused workshops, company retreats, corporate trainings and IT certification trainings” to support the mid-state’s workforce and community.

DSU held a ribbon-cutting and open house at its new DSU Training and Technology Center on Thursday. Barclays Bank donated over $500,000 to the project to refinish, supply and staff the center.

“This is a perfect example of a public-private partnership relationship with Barclays,” said DSU president Dr. Harry Williams. “They made it possible for us to have this facility. We want to welcome everyone in the community to come visit, because it’s here for you as a great opportunity for the businesses to take advantage of the technology we have on the DSU campus.”

Barclays director of community investment Jocelyn Stewart feels that the technology center will help nurture “in-demand” technology skills in the mid-state’s workforce.

“The demand for these skills in Dover itself isn’t huge, but in the northern part of the state the demand is huge — and these are great careers,” she said. “We’re interested in helping to build the workforces’ capacity and there really aren’t a lot of centers like this in this part of the state.

“At Barclays, we don’t have much of a problem hiring in just about any department except technology. We need talent in the technology space so badly — we’re desperate for it. So is JPMorgan Chase and just about everyone. Having this center here gives the local high schools, colleges, community and even military presence a chance to pick up some very valuable skills.”

In July 2016, the university decided to install the DTTC on the seventh floor of the DSU Living and Learning Commons in Dover. The space was, at one time, the nightclub for the Dover Sheraton Hotel before DSU converted the old hotel into a multi-use student housing and classroom facility in 2013.

Since the DTTC’s completion, it’s already hosted many of the university’s internal technology training events, but also several Mobile App Academy trainings and even an Apple “Swift” coding training.

The center, with a capacity of 145 people, is equipped with: Apple TVs, MacBook Pros, Galaxy A tablets, 60-inch Samsung Smart LED HDTVs, configurable and personal whiteboards and breakout areas with leather couches, chairs and privacy pods.

Dee Myers, the director of the new center, said that the DTTC can help “meet the societal needs of closing a technical skill gap that is continuously growing.”

“My children at age 12 are learning what I was learning my senior year in college — it’s amazing how technology continues to change,” said Mr. Myers. “Over the next 20 years, the technology industry is going to keep maturing, and we need to keep our businesses and community up to pace with it. We’re already running a partnership with Early College High School and I have ninth-graders up here three days per week leaning about JavaScript, Swift and other types of coding. We need to get that early exposure to technology and also push retraining in our workforce.”

DSU’s four stated goals for the DTTC are:

• Create talent for the local job market

• Prepare DTTC participants to find employment

• Maximize utilization of the DTTC

• Strengthen and fortify the community.

Local businesses or organizations interested in making use of the technology center for attending trainings or offering their own are encouraged to email dttc@desu.edu or call (302) 857-6114. More details and a calendar of upcoming events can be found by visiting desu.edu/dsu-technology-training-center.