Academy Courses Give Workers Skills They Need
Published Dec 15, 2008
Students at nearly a dozen East Texas high schools can take courses in computer-aided design, medical terminology, health-science technology, welding and circuits, and work toward professional certification and good-paying jobs.
The Workforce Academy program is a partnership among Longview Economic Development Corp., the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force for Workforce Readiness, Kilgore College and Texas State Technical College in Marshall.
It dovetails with a second major workforce initiative – a new building on Kilgore College’s campus in Longview that is geared toward industrial maintenance education.
LEDCO pitched in a $200,000 grant and has been soliciting equipment donations from local industries. The college offers a two-year associate’s degree and certification programs in industrial maintenance.
The new facility accepted its first batch of students in August 2008.
Before launching the Workforce Academy classes, LEDCO surveyed employers and students, finding big interest and a big gap in the region’s workforce. And industrial firms, including those in the oil and gas industries, say they don’t have enough skilled workers to maintain increasingly sophisticated equipment.
“Research shows that 70 to 80 percent of jobs here need certification or a two-year degree,” says Julie Wiersig, LEDCO workforce development director. “We don’t discourage getting four-year degrees, but we can show the need for skilled workers that employers have.”
The first class – computer maintenance and repair – opened at New Diana High School in fall 2008 with six students. Students attend classes two nights a week, earning both college and high school credit.
If they take the second-level course in spring 2009 they can take the certification exam. Those jobs, Wiersig said, pay $25 an hour or more.
Student interest and availability of instructors from Kilgore and TSTC each semester determine courses.
Pat Clark, superintendent of New Diana schools, says collaboration between high schools, post-secondary institutions and businesses saves resources and targets job training. “I think this is the route to go in the future,” Clark says.
Story by Pamela Coyle
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