FERRIDAY — A groundbreaking ceremony for Central Louisiana Technical College, Shelby Jackson Campus is set for 1:30 p.m. Monday, giving current and prospective students more than double the space they previously had in their main building.

The groundbreaking will begin the $5.2 million project that will include an 11,500-square-foot addition to the nursing school in the campus’ main building and renovations to the existing 10,900 square feet of the building.

Construction crews will also convert existing spaces on campus into a multipurpose room that will seat approximately 300 people.

Minor renovation work on the rest of the campus is planned.

The renovations to the Shelby M. Jackson Campus are a part of Act 391 facilities project that was passed during the 2007 legislative session that is providing 23 projects for 14 community and technical colleges in the state, totaling $173.7 million.

Central Louisiana Technical College, Shelby M. Jackson Campus director of student affairs and financial aid Sherrill Byrd said the school has been working for several years to make these renovations.

“We are very excited about the groundbreaking because we know it is going to be very beneficial to Ferriday,” she said.

Byrd said the campus expansion will be a big help for the school’s enrollment.

“We were at the point where we were bursting at the seams, and we couldn’t grow anymore,” she said. “Now that we have a bigger campus we can expand on our existing programs and help increase our enrollment.”

With the new additions to the campus, Byrd said the school will be able to provide additional educational opportunities to more parish residents.

“The trend we see now, from everything we read is that the majority of the jobs people apply for are going to require less than a college degree but more than a high school diploma,” she said. “That is what we offer, and our purpose is to fill that need.”

After the groundbreaking, a reception will follow at the Arcade Theatre in Ferriday.