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Toyota Motor Corp. is partnering with the University of Mississippi in building a $22 million center to train students in manufacturing.

The cost for the university's Center for Manufacturing Excellence was included in a $293.9 million incentive package Toyota accepted from the state when it agreed to build a $1.3 billion assembly plant in Tupelo, Miss.

The Tupelo plant, which Toyota plans to open in May 2010, is about 50 miles from the center. Toyota will build its Highlander crossover at the plant, which is expected to employ about 2,000 workers and produce about 120,000 vehicles a year.

Students should begin enrolling by the time Toyota begins production. The 47,000-square-foot building will include a factory floor and process lines, as well as space for visiting Toyota executives-in-residence.

Dennis Cuneo, a retired Toyota executive who advised the automaker about its site selection, said in a statement that the center "will help enhance and further manufacturing excellence" in the state.

"We are happy to see the state so committed to advancing manufacturing," the statement said. "Some people assume that the manufacturing sector is in decline and is destined to move offshore. The creation of the center shows that the manufacturing sector is vibrant and growing in Mississippi and will play an important role in Mississippi's economy."

Toyota said manufacturing experience played a role in its decision in February 2007 to build the plant in Tupelo. About one-third of the available work force living within 60 miles of the Tupelo site has manufacturing experience.