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Marketing Action Client Wins Economic Development Award

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Marketing Action, Inc. is honored to work with Carol Pepper-Kittredge, Director, Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT), Sierra College, who recently won a Placer County Economic Development Award for “Best Support for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Deployment.”

The CACT program is funded through the California Community College Chancellor’s Office Workforce and Economic Development program.  Organizations, manufacturers and technology companies throughout Northern California have benefited from customized training and preparation of their future workforce provided by Sierra College CACT since 1992.

Veronica Blake, CEO, Placer Community Foundation, and Vice Chair of the Economic Development Board for Placer County presented the award to Pepper-Kittredge, mentioning that 480 employees from local companies received training last year. “We know that successful societies are those that attract and nurture the most creative workers and entrepreneurs,” said Blake.  “Sierra College CACT is a dynamic partner and contributor to this effort, building a quality workforce with technical skills, problem-solving abilities and cost effective customer focused solutions.”

Blake also explained the role Sierra College CACT has played in encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship through the unique partnership with Hacker Lab as well as by working with high school Career Technical Education programs supported by the Sierra STEM Collaborative.  “Additionally, through the Sierra STEM Collaborative, more than 15,000 students at eight local high schools completed manufacturing and product development courses,” said Blake.

Learn more about the award presentation —  Sierra College CACT Wins Placer County Economic Development Award

Apply by March 17 for Startup Hustle Immersive Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs

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Sacramento area students and entrepreneurs can apply by the new deadline of March 17 for Startup Hustle. Hacker Lab’s Startup Hustle is supported by Sierra College, one of the first community colleges in the United States to establish a public-private partnership with a community maker space.

The eight-week boot camp delivered by Hacker Lab immerses participants in developing entrepreneurial skills to turn their ideas into successful businesses.

Important Dates

March 10 – Startup Expo 8: Meet the Mentors (Sierra College Edition)

March 17 – Deadline to Apply to Startup Hustle

March 24 – Startup Hustle Spring 2016 Kicks off

March 29 – Online sessions begin on Tuesday evenings for 8 weeks

March 31 – In-person Entrepreneurial training from industry experts in Sacramento and Rocklin, CA for 8 weeks

May 19 – Last Session

May 26 – Demo Night where selected particpatns make their pitch

Don’t Miss Out on this Chance to Join Sacramento’s Entrepreneurial Community

Get started by applying at Startup Hustle. Once your application is accepted, participation is free for Hacker Lab members and Sierra College students, and the fee is $149 for other participants.

According to Eric Ullrich, Co-founder, Hacker Lab, Startup Hustle supports participants in discovering their own path to successful entrepreneurship through the support of Hacker Lab’s Startup Community.

“We’ll stretch your thinking and help you incubate your ideas to start or grow your business.”

The immersive bootcamp is for those who dream of becoming entrepreneurs as well as those interested in taking an invention or business to the next level, explained Ullrich. “Startup Hustle is for people who want to learn innovation skills, identify potential customers, test viability and prepare to present to investors, all in a very supportive environment.”

Students are encouraged to apply according to Carol Pepper-Kittredge, Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT), Sierra College.

“Students who want to start a business or work for a company where innovation is valued will benefit from participating.”

Sponsors of Startup Hustle include The Shop VSP Global, Business Composer, Sierra College, City of Rocklin, SMUD, California Community Colleges Workforce and Economic Development Division, City of Sacramento, Sierra College CACT, Golden Sierra and Bosley Till Neue & Talerico LLP.

Read about past Startup Hustle participants.

STEM: Welding Adds Applied Math Lessons at Sierra College

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Sierra College Math and Welding departments worked together on a National Science Foundation (NSF) IGNITE grant with the University of West Virginia at Parkersburg (UWVP) to infuse math into welding curriculum.

Sierra College Welding Department chair, Bill Wenzel worked with Katie Lucero, chair of the Sierra College Math Department, to develop the new applied academic curriculum. The math lessons tied directly to a student project and significantly improved students’ math skills. Carol Pepper-Kittredge, director, Sierra College Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT) facilitated the collaboration of faculty with the University of West Virginia on this NSF grant project.

See the movie showing these technical education students integrating math into welding at Placer Herald Sierra College addresses skills gap by fusing math with welding (11-29-2012).

Learn more about Sierra College STEM projects.

Sierra College trains Vets in CCC for Energy Jobs

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Sierra College CACT announced: “Veterans who served as medics, ammunition specialists and security forces are transitioning to civilian employment as the result of a Sierra College Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT) and California Conservation Corps (CCC) partnership. Nine veterans who are on the CCC crew [were] awarded Energy Technology and Lighting Systems Completion Certificates from Sierra College CACT” on January 20, 2012.

Read More: http://sierracollegetraining.com/edu/56/Press_Releases_and_News

Auburn Journal: http://auburnjournal.com/detail/198396.html

Marketing Action is honored to be part of the team working on this collaboration to put veterans to work in skilled jobs.

Sierra College Employer & Energy Programs win Awards

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Congratulations to Sierra College for the acknowledgement at the Placer County Economic Development Summit held March 17, 2010 for leadership in economic development. Both the Sierra College Energy Technology Program and Sandra Scott, director of grant development and career technical education for Sierra College, received awards.

Marketing Action, Inc. is honored to work with both the Energy Technology Program and Sandra Scott who oversees Sierra College Training and Development for employers, the Sierra STEM grant promoting careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, and the Sierra College Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT).

Learn more about the awards: Sierra College Receives Awards at sierracollegetraining.com

OLLI at Sierra College receives endowment

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The Placer Herald reported in “$1 million endowment keeps Sierra College adult classes alive” on June 19 that the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Sierra College received a $1 million endowment from the Bernard Osher Foundation. The program offers mentally stimulating courses without tests or homework for active adults. Rocklin Roseville Today also reported on the new endowment. Learn more at sierraolli.com. Marketing Action, Inc. has worked with Sierra College to promote this program for many years.

Sierra College wins Career Technical Education grant

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On March 30 it was announced that “Sierra College wins $500,000 grant to attract students to technical careers.” According to the release, “In today’s economic downturn, skilled workers are fundamental to economic recovery. Sierra College received a $500,000 grant from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office that will support the region’s long-term economic viability through career technical education (CTE). From middle school to college, students must be equipped with technical skills to meet the future needs of emerging industries. The grant aligns education with business to develop relevant hands-on learning models, merge academics with technical education and fill the pipeline of future workers with those who are qualified to fill highly-paid, in-demand technical positions.

According the Sandra Scott, Director, Grant Development and Career Technical Education at Sierra College, this grant will promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. ‘Through partnerships with industry as well as middle and high schools, Sierra College’s STEM Community Collaborative is implementing innovative CTE models, strengthening existing programs, and attracting middle and high school students to STEM education,’ said Scott.”

Learn more at Roseville Rocklin Today and the Sacramento Business Journal. Check out Sierra College Training to learn more about Technical Education projects.

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.

Sierra College STEM Grant attracts middle school students to Tech Careers
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The Sierra College Tech-Explorer catapult project that introduces students to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math was reported in a brief in the 10-24-08 Sacramento Business Journal page 29 under Business Notes.

The press release » 10/13/08 Sierra College offers relevant technical education to Roseville middle school explains the project and lists several sources for career information.

From the release: According to Sandra Scott, Director of Workforce Development and Continuing Education at Sierra College, “Our vision is to engage all students in applied learning and interest them in pursuing the classes now, in high school and later at Sierra College that can lead them to rewarding technical careers.” She explained that if middle school students can grasp abstract concepts by applying them to a project that is relevant to them, they may be more motivated to take math, science, computer, design, robotics and other technical courses. “Developing their interest now, in middle school, can give them an edge in determining their future,” said Scott.