Low-income students helped through special services grant at local technical colleges

Low income students at Bates and Clover Park Technical Colleges now have access to special services because of the Basic Food Employment and Training (BFET) grant from the Dept. of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Services (FNS).

To be eligible for the grant, students must receive basic food assistance (food stamps) through the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).

The Basic Food Employment and Training grant provides funding for colleges to create special programs specifically designed to help food stamp-eligible students obtain the skills and education necessary to achieve self-sufficiency and help close the employment skills gap.

Students who qualify for the BFET program can receive funding assistance for education and skills training, and related support programs. At both colleges, students can obtain assistance to help pay for tuition, and get special help filing financial aid forms. Each student is assigned a program manager who acts as a mentor – helping to navigate the college experience.  Future plans exist to develop additional support programs throughout the year.

The first BFET program began in 2005 and has since expanded steadily throughout the state’s community and technical college system. This is the first year Bates and Clover Park have been awarded the grant. Bates will receive $253,040 and Clover Park will receive $602,709 to fund the program.

About Bates Technical College
Celebrating more than 70 years, Bates Technical College offers certificate and degree opportunities in 53 career education programs, and serves approximately 3,000 career training students and 10,000 more community members annually in extended learning, distance learning, high school, and other programs. For more information, go to www.bates.ctc.edu, or call 253.680.7000.

About Clover Park Technical College:
Clover Park Technical College offers more than 50 career training degree and certificate programs in the areas of business, computer information and technology, health sciences, manufacturing, construction and trades, multimedia design, and personal care services. The college also offers certification, online and distance learning, as well as continuing education courses. For more information call 253.589.5800, or visit www.cptc.edu/careers

Veterans Day Recognition Ceremony November 10

Honoring all who have served. Special guest speaker Congressman Adam Smith (WA-9), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Ceremony begins at 11:00 am in the Student Center. 

Apply now for financial aid - don't wait!

Winter Quarter 2012 Financial Aid Deadline: December 2, 2011

To apply for all available federal, state, and institutional financial assistance, you must complete steps 1- 5 of Clover Park’s financial aid application process. Read the instructions carefully. Students who complete the application process prior to the deadline for a quarter will have their applications reviewed prior to the start of the quarter. 

The 5 step application instructions are available at the Financial Aid Office and at www.cptc.edu/financialaid

2012 Winter Schedule Reminder coming soon to your mailbox

The holidays are right around the corner and so is the 2012 Winter Schedule Reminder - coming to your mailbox during the week of November 7.

The reminder is just that. A notice to let you know it's almost time to register for winter quarter. 

Also, it's a list of classes and estimated costs, as well as important information about financial aid, how to get started, registration dates, tuition and fee payment due dates, continuing education class information and more.

If you live outside of Pierce County you can pick one up on Monday, November 7 at the front desk in Building 17.

Sign up today to receive emergency alerts

'Tis the season for power outages, rain, sleet and snow. Sign up today to receive alerts regarding College closures, delays, or emergencies. Choose to receive a text, email and/or voice mail message. Be informed, be safe.

Emergency Preparedness Roundtable

Good Morning Colleagues,

Please join us in a roundtable discussion to help our community become more resilient in times of disaster.  During the discussion, a cross-section of citizens, emergency management professionals, and representatives of business, industry, and non-governmental organizations will identify gaps in emergency preparedness and actions we can take to be better prepared and more disaster resilient as a community and as a state.  Roundtables are being held in nine locations across the State of Washington over the next several months. 

Research and on-the-ground experience after disasters shows that preparedness leads to increased resiliency within organizations and a community’s ability to recover.  The heart of enhanced community resilience is the recognition that activities which can better prepare a community to deal with disastrous events are also activities that increase a community’s daily functional capacity to meet the needs of its citizens, thus contributing to a higher quality of life for the community as a whole.

The Center of Excellence for Homeland Security at Pierce College, Washington State Emergency Management Division and members of the State Community Preparedness Strategic Planning Workgroup are teaming up with the Pierce Department of Emergency Management, Region 5, and Clover Park Technical College to host this roundtable discussion. Issues and action agendas from each roundtable will serve as a foundation for updating the statewide all-hazards emergency preparedness strategic plan and local emergency plans, and guide local emergency preparedness activities. The roundtables are also great opportunities to learn about resources and networks that can support and assist you in your community.

In return for sharing your knowledge, personal experience, understanding of community needs, and not more than five hours of your time, we will provide lunch and thank you with an emergency preparedness “go bag” and a drawing for emergency kits.

Please encourage your staff, students and community partners to attend. RSVPs will be accepted by Linda Crerar, lcrerar@pierce.ctc.edu or (253) 912-3689 and Lorianne Garces, lgarces@pierce.ctc.edu or (253) 964-6395. Please contact Linda or Lorianne if you have any questions.  

Thank you,

Amy

Amy Goings, MPA | Clover Park Technical College

Vice President for Operations and College Relations |

4500 Steilacoom Blvd SW | Lakewood, WA 98499

p 253.589.5845| www.cptc.edu

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Redefine Education at Clover Park Technical College

Associated Student Government is sponsoring a campus wide pumpkin carving and display

It is that time of year again. Associated Student Government is sponsoring a campus wide pumpkin carving and display contest between classes and programs. ASG is providing pumpkins for groups of students who would like to represent their class or program in the contest. Your fellow students will judge on the overall display, and a selected panel of judges will judge on the carving on the pumpkin. So you can go for complexity or go all out with the display, and may even do both. We encourage you all to bring you “A” game.

If you and your classmates are interested in participating please email Nate Oelrich at asg.vpsa@cptc.edu or call 253-589-5740 ASAP. After this you may pick up your pumpkin in the ASG office located in the student center (BLG. 23 Rm. 209) on the 26^th and 27^th. You will then have the rest of the week and the weekend to carve and arrange your display. Bring all of your great work to the student center by 11:00 am on October 31^st to win a prize package and bragging rights for the rest of the year.

Hope to see you all there!

Thank you,

Nate Oelrich

VP of Student Activities

Clover Park Technical College

Associated Student Government

253-589-5740

Clover Park Technical College wins marketing awards at regional conference

Clover Park Technical College won six Medallion awards at the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) District Conference late last week. 

Trustee Mary Moss, Vice President Amy Goings, Webmaster Sean O'Connor, Outreach Coordinator Janet Holm, part-time graphic designer Rommel Villalobos, and College Relations Director Shawn Jennison were in attendance. 

The NCMPR District 7 Medallion Awards recognize outstanding achievement in communications at community and technical colleges in District 7. It's the only regional competition of its kind that honors excellence exclusively among marketing and PR professionals at two-year colleges. District 7 includes Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Yukon Territory. 

A breakdown of the awards is as follows:

Bronze – Quarterly Class Schedule Reminder (the 16-page mailer)

Bronze – Golf Tournament Invitation

Bronze – Viewbook

Silver – Nontraditional Jobs Bookmark

Silver – 70^th Anniversary Logo Design

Gold – Nontraditional Jobs Promotional Videos: www.cptc.edu/nontrad 

Left to right - Shawn Jennison, Sean O'Connor, Amy Goings, Mary Moss, Rommel Villalobos

Rommel Villalobos

Shawn Jennison, Janet Holm, Sean O'Connor

Dreams on the Wing – CPTC’s Aerospace Center

The Aerospace Center at the South Hill campus of Clover Park Technical College (CPTC) is an architect’s dream and the playing field of students who will emerge one day with careers in the aviation industry. Built in 2001, instructors were involved in designing the building, and it’s obvious that it was a happy collaboration of need, function, and design.

The facility’s front door has an overhang resembling a plane’s landing gear doors, another part looks like the nose of an airplane, while the trusses that support the roof resemble the ribs of a wing. Inside, one is struck by a floor-to-ceiling stained glass piece called “Circumnavigating the Century.”

Instructor Mike Potter and retired CPTC counselor Linda Wight took me on a tour, beginning with a 100-yard hallway lit in blue lights, the same blue that signifies a taxiway. In this hall, classes such as physics, weight and balance, mathematics, electricity, and materials and processing are taught; and for each subject, the hands-on takes place across the hall in the lab.

We step into the flight department where students will enter a cockpit fuselage and operate a computer-simulated cockpit, complete with control wheel, rudder pedals, throttles, radios, and instruments to help future pilots learn the nuances of taking off, staying aloft, and landing.

Then, there is the airframe room, filled with tools, BIG tools, and vents used for welding, plus many technical system mock-ups.

Mike explains, “We do hydraulics, sheet metal, landing gear, position and warning, wheels, tires, and brakes – that’s just a few of the 17 subjects taught here.”

We enter the helicopter and turbine engine lab.

“Whoa! Big ol’ helicopter,” I say. The room seems filled by a massive helicopter and is lined with all manner of supplies and parts.

“Hm – little helicopter,” Mike replies. “Here’s where they take ’em apart and put ’em back together.”

We go from there to another very large area that holds a crane with a plane engine hoisted into the air.

“Students take possession of a four-cylinder airplane engine like this one at the beginning of the course,” Mike says. “They completely disassemble it and measure everything and spec everything, then reassemble it, and then it’s moved to bays outside where the test cell is chained to the ground. The engine is then tested to see how well the repairs went.”

          Linda adds, “People who ask for a tour and take a look at our program have usually done their homework. When they talk to employers, they recognize that this is the best program, which is creating a high demand for the training provided by CPTC.”

          As we continue our tour, it occurs to me that the many interconnected aspects of the entire program are pretty mind boggling. Take, for instance, the parts and tool rooms. Since students couldn’t possibly afford to buy all of the special tools necessary to work on airplanes, the tool room has loads of them. It follows that nuts, bolts, rivets, and more are located in the parts room. And the cleaning room holds the solvents, machinery, and fine glass beads the size of sand that clean engine parts by blasting off the corrosion, paint, etc. Not one, but two battery charging rooms are necessary because if the fumes of lead acid and nickel cadmium happen to mix together, it makes the batteries deteriorate, so they must be charged in separate rooms.

          Eventually, we find ourselves on helicopter row in a giant hanger. A couple of retired Bell Cobra helicopters sit in the bay. Parked next to them are two retired military Hughes TH55 trainers. Two Vietnam-era “Hueys” stand nearby, along with a couple of Bell Jet Rangers, probably one of the most produced helicopters in the world. Next to that is a French-built Aerospecial A-Star, with gleaming paint, the choice of most TV reporters. Two of the helicopters fly, and the rest are for maintenance training. Hard not to be impressed by the fact that students working with these crafts will have such a variety of hands-on experience.  

“Because we specialize in helicopters, we’ve obtained a lot of helicopter equipment, most donated by the military,” Mike says.

          We enter the maintenance hangar, roomy enough for quite a few airplanes. There’s a crane, 5-ton capacity, located on the ceiling. Mike pushes a button, and just like an awning, the hangar door cranks open, with eight strong metal lines that draw the door up off the ground, until we’re looking outside at the edge of the 5,000-foot runway.

Ten airplanes, their tail sections featuring a picture of an airplane flying by Mt. Rainier and “Training the Best in the Great Northwest,” are parked and ready to be commanded by those with a passion for flying who are enrolled in the Professional Pilot Program. Eight other planes parked nearby are used in the Aircraft Maintenance Program. A short distance away is a helicopter landing pad. From the sky comes the smooth hum of a Cessna climbing into the bright blue beyond.  

          Now is the time the aerospace industry needs trained new employees, both behind the scenes, repairing, maintaining, performing nondestructive testing, and working with composites, as well as behind the wheel, traversing the skies.

         Average salaries can vary greatly due to company, location, industry, experinece, and benefits, but anyone interested in learning what average salary ranges in the aerospace and aviation fields are can check www.careeronestop.org of the US Department of Labor.

          Clover Park Technical College is known for its excellence as training grounds for those who are an answer to aviation’s call. From the moment students step through the door of the South Hill campus, their dreams of a career in a hungry aerospace job market are securely on the wing until they touch down to make that soft landing and taxi on toward a future with their certificate or degree in hand.

Dianne Bunnell

Clover Park Technical College

Side Bar

Governor Gregoire recently earmarked a portion of Workforce Investment Act funding for CPTC in the form of Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) that will provide qualified students with a full scholarship to complete the two-quarter composite certificate. Veterans transitioning from military to the civilian workforce are particularly targeted, and a new cohort will begin winter quarter, 2012. The College’s partner, Workforce Central, will make additional ITAs available for qualified students for fall and spring.

CPTC partner, Boeing, played a key role in the development of a new Material Science Program which began this fall. Students can now pursue an AAS-T degree in Nondestructive Testing, an AAS-T degree in Composites and/or a certificate in Eddy Current Testing. Additional certificates in Ultrasonic Testing, Radiographic Testing, and Magnetic Particle/Liquid Penetrant Testing will follow in subsequent quarters.

Clover Park Technical College was recently the recipient of two Department of Labor grants intended to increase capacity in the College’s aerospace-related programming. The first grant provides $20 million over three years to the Air Washington Consortium, a group of 14 Washington colleges and aerospace organizations. The second provides $19.7 million over three years to be distributed to ten community and technical colleges throughout the country, with Anne Arundel Community College of Maryland serving as lead. CPTC will be focusing these resources on increasing opportunities for students in composites, aviation maintenance, and advanced manufacturing. 

ASG Needs Your Photos for the Veterans Day Ceremony-

Your ASG team is making a video slide show for the Veterans Day ceremony on November 10^th from 11:30am to 12:30pm in the Student Center. We need pictures of you, your family, friends, and loved ones in their uniforms. You can send any digital copies to asg.senator1@cptc.edu or bring your photos to be scanned to the ASG building #23, office room 209 on Mondays and Wednesdays 3-5pm. Please include names and dates of service, I will need these turned in by Tuesday, November 1^st at 5pm. In addition, I am conducting in person interviews of veterans within our community and their family to include in this video, let me know if you are interested in an in person interview as well.

Please respond to asg.senator1@cptc.edu

Thank you. ASG Senator Jonathan Russell

October is Adult Literacy Month

Today’s jobs require high levels of communication, customer service, computation, and technology skills, but there’s an increasing gap between the skills employers require and the availability of those skills in the workforce.

Pierce County’s federally funded adult literacy providers are moving students further and faster on the path to skilled jobs.  Employers are also partnering with adult literacy providers to help their current employees gain the skills that lead to job advancement.

In 2011 Pierce County’s adult literacy providers helped more than 5,000 learners improve their English, obtain a GED or gain better job skills.

If you’re an employer, here’s how you can help build a stronger workforce:

ü  Speak to college classes about your business and the skills needed to succeed.

ü  Provide informational interviews to future potential employees.

ü  Open your business to interns so students can learn early if this line of work is a right fit.

ü  Give your employees a flexible schedule to allow them to take classes designed for your business.

ü  Sponsor a literacy class for your employees.

ü  Tell your legislators about the need for a more skilled workforce.

ü  Provide tuition reimbursements for your employees to go back to school.

ü  Contribute to scholarships for students to get further job training.

Contact any of these providers to find out more:

Bates Technical College

1101 S. Yakima Ave

Tacoma, WA 98405

www.bates.ctc.edu

(253) 680-7274

Clover Park Technical College

4500 Steilacoom Blvd SW

Lakewood, WA 98499

www.cptc.edu

(253) 589-5760 or 5702

Pierce College-Ft. Steilacoom

9401 Farwest Drive

Lakewood, WA 98498

www.pierce.ctc.edu/dist/basic skills

(253) 964-6657

Pierce College—Puyallup

1601 – 39^th Ave SE

Puyallup, WA 98374

(253) 840-8463

Tacoma Community College

6501 S. 19^th Street, Bldg. 7 North

Tacoma, WA 98466

www.tacomacc.edu/academics/

adultbasicskills

(253) 566-5144

Tacoma Community House

1314 South L Street

Tacoma, WA 98405

www.tacomacommunityhouse.org

(253) 383-3951

The Rescue Mission

425 South Tacoma Way

Tacoma, WA 98402

www.Rescue-Mission.org 

(253) 383-4469

Holiday House 2011

What is Holiday House?  
Holiday House is an annual volunteer activity, which distributes food, gift cards, and holiday gifts to eligible Clover Park Technical College (CPTC) students.

Who is Holiday House?
Holiday House is an informal committee of CPTC staff and other volunteers who raise funds and coordinate distribution activities.

Why Holiday House?  
Holiday House exists to provide December holiday assistance in the form of food and/or gifts for CPTC students who demonstrate need.

Who is eligible to receive Holiday House assistance?  
Available resources limit the distribution of Holiday House assistance to current students enrolled in a two quarters or more CPTC program/course (main or South Hill campuses). Students must carry a load of 12 credits or more, receive some type of aid through the CPTC Financial Aid Office, self-identify as being in need of holiday assistance, and must meet the established criteria (see application).

How does it work?  
Attached to this memo are Holiday House Application and Holiday House Adoption Forms. Applications should be distributed by faculty and staff to any student who self-identifies as being in need of assistance during the December holidays. Adoption forms should be completed by an individual, instructional program, or department that would like to adopt a student for Holiday House assistance.

All forms should be returned to Cindy Overton/Kelley Meeusen in Building 16, Room 101, no later than Friday, November 4, at 5:00 p.m. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Students who meet the criteria for assistance will be matched to program or department sponsors, and the program or department will be provided information specific to their adoptee. Those adopting may choose to collect funds to purchase food, a food gift card, and/or gifts. All other students who meet the criteria for assistance will be assisted through the general Holiday House program.

Age-appropriate gifts, food, and food gift cards will be available to students at the Holiday House pick-up station (Building 23, Room 214) on Thursday, December 8, from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m.

What’s the timeline?    
Holiday House activities will be coordinated according to the following timeline:

October 14, 2011 - Holiday House information and forms distributed to all campus faculty and staff.

November 4, 2011 - Deadline for Assistance Applications and Adoption Forms to be returned to Cindy Overton/Kelley Meeusen in Building 16, Room 101.

November 21, 2011 - Students will be notified whether or not they have been adopted.

November 21, 2011 - Individuals, instructional programs, and departments will be notified about the family they have adopted.

December 8, 2011 - Identified students pick up food/toy packages from the 1:00-6:00 p.m.                 
Holiday House pick-up station, Building 23, Room 214.

What can I do?
You can help in a variety of ways:

• Donate a new, unwrapped toy or wrapping paper.  The collection box is located in Building 17, Student Records area.
• Encourage your program or department to adopt a family. We anticipate the need to be greater this year due to the economy. If you belong to a large department or program and your group is able to donate many gifts, you may consider, instead, donating to more than one family. Simply complete the adoption form attached and return by the deadline, November 4.
• Donate funds to the CPTC Foundation in the name of Holiday House.
• Help staff the Holiday House pick-up station on December 8, 2011. Call Phil Terry at extension 5572 to volunteer.

Questions?  
Call the Holiday House help line and leave a message at (253) 589-5745. Be sure to leave your name, phone number, and specific questions so that a volunteer is able to return your call.

Application for Assistance
Adoption Form

October is Disability Awareness Month. In support, please take a few minutes to view this short (5min) video on the impact on universally designed instruction:

http://www.youtube.com/user/SeattleCentralSCCC

This video was put together by the SBCTC-sponsored faculty learning community on universal design. All of the “actors” are real students who shared universal design strategies that worked for them in the classroom. It is a great example of how designing instruction to be more accessible to one individual increases the learning opportunities for all students.

If you are interested in learning more about universal design and how it supports student learning here are a few good staring points:

http://www.washington.edu/doit/CUDE/

http://www.cast.org/udl/

Best,

Val

Valerie Sundby-Thorp, MA, Ed.

Disability Services Coordinator

valerie.sundby@cptc.edu

Ph: 253.589.5767