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CCC Completes Training to Energize Careers

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Congratulations to the California Conservation Corps (CCC ) Placer Energy Center in Auburn: The Technical Education in Energy Efficiency and Construction training developed by Sierra College CACT for the CCC was approved as pre-apprenticeship by the Northern California Laborers Union.

As part of the last week of classes, speakers from SMUD and the Laborers Union addressed participants, answered their questions and provided career advice. The presentations were inspiring.

The 128 hour Technical Education in Energy Efficiency and Construction (TE³C) training included building science basics, worker safety, weatherization measures, energy efficiency and alternative energy fundamentals. The goal was to prepare Corps members for entry-level employment in the Energy Efficiency Construction Industry. Over 50 Corps members participated in at least one of the five hands-on classes.

Education programs like this and at high schools and colleges benefit from industry support. Many Sacramento area employers generously share their expertise. How can your business help?

  • Be a speaker about your company, the industry, and what a typical day is like on the job
  • Provide career advice to students
  • Allow a student or an instructor to spend several hours or days at your business doing a “job shadow”
  • Hire a student intern
  • Take a recent graduate to your professional association meeting
  • Serve on an advisory committee to help educators understand the skills your business looks for in new hires
  • Donate equipment that classes can use to develop real world skills

Your contribution may energize a young person’s career.

Hands-on projects inspire kids, newspaper articles catch parents’ attention

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Sierra College Workforce Development and Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT) is inspiring young people to consider careers in product design, engineering, technology and manufacturing by offering hands-on projects at schools in Placer and Nevada counties.

After a recent build in Grass Valley, the Tech-Explorer catapult project was featured in the Union newspaper. Kids catapult into learning College program eyes local work force

To spread the word, Sierra College has used press releases describing the goals of the program:

For Immediate Release December 16, 2008 #62

Contact: Sue Michaels/Diane Wright, Sierra College Marketing/Public Relations 916-660.7272, 916-630-4535(fax) smichaels@sierracollege.edu

Lincoln High School students apply math skills to building catapults

Sierra College STEM grant introduces education path to highly-paid, technical careers

ROCKLIN -Students in teacher Ellen Byron’s Honors Algebra II and Pre-Calculus classes will measure, cut and manipulate metal on industrial power tools to manufacture parts and build catapults from 10:45AM to 3PM on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at Lincoln High School located at 790 J St. in Lincoln, CA. Learn about the project at: http://www.sierracollegetraining.com/techexp_program.php

A former Industrial Engineer, Byron is excited about offering this project. “Building the catapult will give students a glimpse into ‘What can we do with the math we learn?’” said Byron. “In careers like engineering, it is so exciting to think of a concept and then turn it into reality. Many of these students are so focused on the academics that they don’t realize all the great career choices that math and science can provide. Through this project, I hope some sparks will fly in their minds and open their imaginations to many technical career choices.”

According to Sandra Scott, Director of Workforce Development for Sierra College, the hands-on Tech-Explorer catapult project engages students and makes academic studies more relevant. “Project-based learning allows students to apply what they are learning in the classroom to real skills used in the workplace,” said Scott. “This project introduces students to local, highly paid in-demand careers such as technicians, product designers and engineers.”

Sierra College won a Science Technology Engineering & Math (STEM) grant from the California Community College Chancellor’s office to bring short-term, turn-key applied academic projects that meet State of California secondary education standards into middle and high school classes.

STEM careers are in demand reports Nicholas Terrell for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in STEM Occupations http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2007/spring/art04.pdf. The report shows that “STEM workers earned about 70 percent more than the national average in 2005, accord­ing to BLS” and the average wage for STEM occupations in 2005 was $64,560 compared to $37,870 for all occupations. (pg. 29 BLS Occupational Outlook Quarterly Spring 2007)

The BLS recommends: “Prepa­ration should begin in high school, with coursework and extracurricular activities focusing on honing problem-solving skills. … Students interested in a STEM career should get started in high school by taking as much math and science as they can. Even those who struggle in these subjects during school can succeed on the job; with persever­ance, many people who may have had difficulty with early math or science classes can later thrive in a STEM career.” (pg. 30 BLS)

The mission of the Workforce Development Division is to deliver flexible learning opportunities that produce change. For more information, go to www.sierracollegetraining.com or contact Sandra Scott, Sierra College Workforce Development at (916) 781-6244.