Collin College Technical Campus hosts preview day, car meet, robotics demos

A robotic dog, a car meet and hands-on demos will fill Collin College Technical Campus as the school opens its doors to families, students and community members for its sixth annual Preview Day. The free public event runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 18, and is designed to show how short-term training and degree pathways can lead straight into local jobs.

Visitors will be able to explore more than 200 academic programs while seeing the campus in action, from automotive bays and construction training spaces to 2D and 3D printing labs. Collin College says the lineup includes Automotive Technology, Pharmacy Technician, Computer Aided Drafting and Design, and the Bachelor of Applied Science in Construction Management, along with information on partnership programs with Texas A&M University, Texas State University and The University of Texas at Dallas.

The preview day is also meant to make the college’s workforce pitch tangible. Collin College describes the Technical Campus as a comprehensive site with more than 20 programs in automotive, construction, health care, information technology and manufacturing, plus academic transfer, dual-credit, continuing education and corporate training. The campus was created to help meet demand for occupations expected to grow by 20% or more, with industries such as construction, engineering technology, automotive technology, collision technology, welding and health care driving that need in Collin County.

That matters in a county where families are weighing cost, time and job prospects. Technical education can put students on a faster path into work than a traditional four-year route, and the college says its apprenticeship programs combine paid on-the-job training with related instruction from the school. For students who want a degree, the campus also offers transfer options, making the Technical Campus a bridge as much as a destination.

The open house has grown into a steady community draw since the Technical Campus formally opened in fall 2020. Collin College said its 2023 open house drew more than 1,300 visitors, and the school kept the car meet as part of the event’s appeal in 2024 and 2025. This year’s showcase comes as Collin College continues expanding employer-linked training, including $1.3 million in Texas Workforce Commission Skills Development Fund grants announced in April 2025 for the Collin County area. Those grants funded 26,000 hours of training for 834 new and current employees.

For families trying to map a path from high school to a paycheck, Preview Day offers a clear view of what Collin College says it does best: connect classrooms, certifications and local hiring needs in one place.