The SWATC Health Professions and Trades Building provides state-of-the-art learning environments where high school students, postsecondary students, and adults can build practical skills for university pathways or direct entry into trade careers. Programs in culinary arts, welding, computer technology, emergency medical services, and health sciences connect instruction with the workforce needs of Cedar City, southern Utah, and emerging industries across the state.

Specialized labs turn technical instruction into immersive, hands-on experience. The culinary program includes a demonstration kitchen with pan-tilt-zoom cameras, multiple viewing angles, recording capabilities, and audiovisual systems that support remote learning and community outreach. A commercial kitchen, scullery, storage areas, walk-in coolers and freezers, and extensive cooking and baking equipment support a broad range of coursework. In the welding lab, individual exhaust snorkels at each station improve safety and efficiency, while adaptable power and exhaust infrastructure allows the program to respond to changing industry processes.

Designed to feel like a modern higher-education campus, the building creates an energizing setting for students and faculty while strengthening connections with regional employers. Dual-purpose classrooms, meeting rooms, and gathering areas allow the facility to also serve business and industry partners. The project became a prototype for Utah’s High Performance Building Standard and was among the first to achieve—and in several areas exceed—the new requirements, demonstrating a streamlined approach to energy performance, lifecycle cost, and long-term public value.