Academic programs prepare students for changing workplace Area schools to offer innovative programs for upcoming year Date: 2/15/2019 GREATER SPRINGFIELD – Western Massachusetts is a distinct region known for its alluring history, diverse population and abundancy of cultural attractions – however, even more so, it’s known for its selection of quality educational institutions.
With two-year colleges like Holyoke Community College, Springfield Technical Community College and Asnuntuck Community College, native residents and out-of-state students alike are bound to find programs that tailor to their specific needs and interests. Because of this, Reminder Publishing caught up with each of these schools to learn more about their latest up-and-coming programs for 2019.
Holyoke Community College
Holyoke Community College (HCC), the Commonwealth’s oldest community college, serves more than 11,500 students annually and is widely recognized for its affordable pathways to transfer or immediate entry into the workforce. As part of its commitment to providing these pathways, as well as to staying up-to-date with the ever-changing professional landscape, a Cannabis Occupational Training program is in the works, according to HCC Vice President of Business and Community Services Jeffrey Hayden.
With the retail sale of adult-use marijuana now legal in Massachusetts, the state Cannabis Control Commission picked a consortium consisting of HCC, the city of Holyoke and the Somerville-based Cannabis Community Care and Research Network (C3RN) to be a Cannabis Social Equity Training Vendor on Oct. 18.
“One of the reasons we got into this is because of the growth we see. When I say growth I mean more jobs – so people who are seeking employment in this way,” said Hayden. “My perception is this industry will continue to grow and we’ll see continued efforts. There are a number of potential licenses in Holyoke, Springfield, Chicopee and Easthampton. It seems to me there will be a lot of folks investing in this, and therefore, need a lot of employees.”
The consortium will design training and competency-based internship and apprenticeship pilot programs for four, entry-to mid-level occupations that meet the “expected workforce demands” of the cannabis industry.
“The goal is to really have participants come out of this with a stack of credentials that are useful to them,” added Hayden.
The four jobs that will be featured in the new program include cannabis cultivation assistant, dispensary patient advocate or “bud-tender,” extraction technician assistant and cannabis pantry cook/cannabis culinary assistant.
After completing the coursework, students will then be paired with one of more than 50 cannabis companies, academics, ancillary businesses, consultants, experts and other stakeholders who have signed on to be members of the C3RN and HCC program.
“The work we do out of the Kittredge Center [for Business and Workforce Development] is primarily aimed at helping people get a job, get a better job or do a job better,” said the vice president. “People are looking for individuals who have some knowledge on how to do jobs in this industry and have some experience in it – obviously with it being a new Massachusetts industry, it’s hard to come up with that experience.”
The school is currently in the process of designing a 196-hour training and experience-based program, in which 96 of the hours will be done in the classroom and the remaining 100 will be dedicated to internships and apprenticeships through the non-profit.
Hayden stated that the 96 hours of classroom time would be split between studying the occupations and learning industry regulations, customer service and other basic occupational trainings.
Because the school receives federal funds, no cannabis or cannabis products will be handled on the campus or its off sites.
The Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) is funding the effort through its Social Equity Program, which seeks to assist communities and populations disproportionately affected by drug enforcement laws before the decriminalization of medicinal and recreational marijuana in Massachusetts.
The project scope, timeline and next steps are currently being subjected to further negotiations with the CCC.
For more information on the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, visit www.hcc.edu.
Springfield Technical Community College
In August 2018, Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) – the only technical community college in the state – launched a new Health Science program as part of its larger mission to provide unique and “unequaled” career programs to its students.
The program, according to Professor and Chair of the Health Science Department Dr. Raja Staggers, is designed for students looking to explore the different career pathways in healthcare by exposing the “multifaceted” aspects of the field and promoting skills in patient care and safety – all in all, it’s intended to prepare students for a career in the field.
It also extends hands-on training and professional certification in areas ranging from Sterile Processing, Patient Care Technician, or Emergency Medical Technician.
“I think it’s a fantastic program and wonderful option for students wanting to go into healthcare because there’s so much to do,” said Staggers. “Our healthcare field is exploding because people are living longer, so there are more jobs. More people are going to go into the healthcare system for preventative or long-term care.”
Because the Health Science program has a flexible nature in terms of possibilities beyond the program, students could either prepare for clinical careers and specialties, such as Diagnostic Medical Sonography or Dental Hygiene, or explore types of administrative work.
One characteristic that makes the program unique, explained the department chair, is its certification component.
“Students can choose a certification track. Some of the tracks include E.M.T, sterile processing technician, patient care technician and community health workers,” she said. “This is pretty unique to a health science program, because typically they don’t offer clinical track options for undergraduate students.”
The Health Science program can be broken down into two years of study.
Students can expect coursework during the first year that hones in on early exposure to health career information and opportunities, a broad understanding of medical terminology and “soft skill” essentials – such as workplace safety and proper professional behavior. It also incorporates the professional certification experience.
The second year focuses on building research skills to study research methodology and topics like the scientific method, hypothesis formulation and testing and the objective and ethical evaluation of data.
Staggers said she believes this program helps the college further its mission statement by preparing students for real-life experiences outside of school while encouraging a more diverse workforce in the field.
“On one hand, we’re furthering opportunities for students to contribute to the healthcare industry in Springfield, that’s a huge part of it,” she stated. “The other piece that I think is important is STCC is a Hispanic Serving Institution. When we talk about health and health outcomes, it’s no secret there are health inequities. It’s important the healthcare system is diverse. We need to diversify the healthcare workforce by having options of diversity in the pool of students to go into the work place.
“We tackle those questions and concerns in classes. These are conversations we have in the health science program. Having practitioners who are well versed, bilingual and culturally competent is so important,” she continued.
For more information about the program, and how to apply, head over to https://www.stcc.edu/explore/programs/hlth.as/.
Asnuntuck Community College
Because Connecticut contributes to a third of all advanced manufacturing jobs in New England, Asnuntuck Community College (ACC) is committed to providing its manufacturing students with top-of-the-line industry equipment – which is why it’s in the process of purchasing a metal 3D printer.
Over the last few years, the use of 3D printing technology has expanded to a wide variety of areas, including the creation of jet engines, advanced prosthetics and even living tissue. ACC recently incorporated 3D printing into its curriculum for students who complete its two-semester Advanced Manufacturing Machine Technology Program. The Additive Manufacturing Program is now offered as a third semester of training.
“If you like instant gratification, nothing is better than 3D printing,” said ACC Manufacturing Technology Instructor Chris Foster. “The big thing we are pushing is that a majority of people who come out of the program go directly to work. Our focus is getting people who come in one door and go out directly into jobs.”
ACC’s 16-credit-hour Additive Manufacturing Program is designed to provide students with an opportunity to learn the basics of “manufacturing methodology.” The objective of the certificate program is to aid students with higher level technical skills in the field, including production protocol.
Students in the program are required to demonstrate advanced skill sets in AM Materials; AM design; AM machine setup; Object File & STL file; and importing an STL file into the FDM Machines.
“If you start doing anything with additive manufacturing, you have to get good at being able to draw parts and try to figure out what machines would be the best for what you’re trying to build,” said Foster. “3D printing jobs sound really glamourous, but a lot of the printing is grunt work. We try to prepare our students for that.”
Last June, the school built a $10 million, 52,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. The Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center houses machinery and utilities comparable to those found in a modern factory, including 21 3D printers – and it’s hoping to add the EOS M 290 metal printer to its collection.
The printer, which will costs around $700,000 for the school, seeks to provide a cost-effective production of metal parts.
According to engineering.com, it’s primarily associated with aerospace and automotive engineering. One burgeoning area of metal additive manufacturing is architectural and structural engineering.
Although Funding still needs to be approved for the metal 3D Fabrication, the instructor added that he believes the machine will be a great addition to the college.
“It’s the most popular machine out on the market right now,” said Foster. “If you’re going to train people to use a machine, train them how to use the machine that is most popular.”
To learn more about the Advanced Manufacturing Program at ACC, head over to https://asnuntuck.edu/courses-programs/manufacturing-technology-program/.
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