College of the Canyons expanded its educational outreach Tuesday during the school’s Continuing Education Center grand opening.

The new center, located on Soledad Canyon Road in the same parking lot as the Edwards Canyon Country 10 movie theater, is set to provide free classes to prepare students for college-level courses or work, according to COC officials.

“We’ll be starting with a more limited slate and we’ll be rolling out classes as we go on,” said John Makevich, the dean of continuing and community education at the school. “It’s really going to be catered to those who are looking for alternative pathways or preparation pathways to college.”

The satellite campus is set to offer English and citizenship classes first, but will later offer computer and career skills courses, according to officials.

At the sign-up event, more than 100 Santa Clarita residents filled out the one-page application to register for classes. College employees registered students directly at the event, allowing them to sign up for classes without any delay.

“Folks can take some of these free classes and get that chance to upskill and kind of develop their talents,” Makevich said. “That range is everywhere from somebody who is trying to acquire a new language to somebody who has already got an established career … looking to get some additional skills.”

Mary Dolores Holguin, a retired Canyon Country resident, sat in the front row of the classroom to fill out her application because she was excited about the prospect of going back to school and meeting other classmates looking to better themselves.

“I’m going to start out with basic math and some computer classes and then I’ll move on,” Holguin said. “I decided to take some basic classes so I can reintroduce myself.”

College of the Canyons currently offers continuing education courses at its Valencia and Canyon Country campuses, as well as at several smaller satellite offices run in conjunction with Santa Clarita employers offering their offices as classrooms. But the Continuing Education Center is the first dedicated classroom space outside of the two main campuses.

“It doesn’t matter how old you are, you learn something new every day,” Holguin said as she waited for her application to be processed. “I’m enhancing my life by learning more.”

Many of the applicants around her had small children who were playing with the College of the Canyons flags on the tables as their parents worked. The wide range of ages for applicants was a promising sight to Makevich.

“There are so many people in the Santa Clarita Valley who do want to further their educational opportunities, but they’re not necessarily ready to make that long term commitment for a college degree,” he said. “We’re entering a more skills-based economy, where people are going to be measured on what talents and skills they have, not necessarily always what degree they have.”

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