Thanks to a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, Western Colorado Community College has added six new certificate programs to its curriculum.
The 16-week certificate programs began Monday, Aug. 19, and will supply the community with newly-trained certified network technicians, computer technicians, control systems technicians, electronics technicians and welders, as well as individuals trained in computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM).
While enrollment in any one of these programs is available to anyone, the grant is intended to target veterans and their spouses as well as underemployed and displaced workers, according to Heather Exby, WCCC Director of Student Services.
In collaboration with CMU, WCCC used input from local business leaders, veterans’ organizations and the Mesa County Workforce Center to identify economic and workforce-related needs in the community.
“We are working closely with local employers and directors at the Mesa County Workforce Center, the National Guard, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Benefits Administration,” Debra Gore, TAACCT Grant Project Manager for WCCC, said.
The acronym TAACCT refers to the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training program, managed by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration.
The Mesa County Workforce Center contributed highly calculated data to the collaborative study, using current data and projections of what jobs are presently in demand, as well as those that will be demanded in the next few years,nationally, statewide and locally.
“Our modeling tools help us to identify projected need and projected demand,” Workforce employee Suzanne Miller said. “The outcome [of those projections] is that we can supply our labor pool pipeline with skilled workers that can find employment in our local economy.”
The word skilled should be emphasized, according to Carrie Acree, Veterans’ Benefits and Services Coordinator for CMU.
“These are very highly technical programs,” Acree said, adding that not every applicant was accepted to the program of his or her choice. “There are some pre-exams, to see if they have the competencies necessary to complete the program. You either have to have been working in that field or have some sort of knowledge about it.”
As of Monday, Aug. 16, 10 students were enrolled among the six certification programs, though that number is expected to increase.
“We sort of fast tracked these programs to begin this semester,” Gore said. “We are anticipating a much higher enrollment for the spring semester.”
The TAACCT grant was initially accepted in October 2012, and its funding of the new certification programs will continue for four years, ending on Sept. 30, 2016.
“I think it’s an excellent opportunity,” Acree said. “I try to explain it to people around here as the ‘get in, get out, get rich’ program.”
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