News

Monday, March 25, WATC faculty, staff and students came together to donate and assemble Easter baskets for the children of Youthville. This is the 4th year WATC has participated in a big way to support their Southside Campus’ neighbor. Last year 123 Easter baskets were delivered to the kids and the goal for 2013 was to make at least 100.

That goal was well-exceeded when 162 Easter baskets were delivered to Youthville Tuesday morning! Thanks to the generous donations of school supplies, personal care items, toys, candy, books, ribbon and baskets along with those who volunteered their time to assemble the treats, this WATC community service event was a success!

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013, Triumph Aerospace Systems joined the Wichita Children’s Home for a tour of Wichita Area Technical College’s main campus, the National Center for Aviation Training. Approximately 10 prospective students participated to learn about the high-wage, high-demand career options that they can train for in the Aviation, Manufacturing and Design fields at WATC.

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Wichita Area Technical College (WATC) hosted the first-ever meeting of the National Aviation Consortium (NAC). More than 40 participants from national partners joined WATC February 13-14 at the National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT).

NAC was formed to pursue a $14.9M grant which was awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor in October, 2012. The consortium will use the grant to develop industry-approved aviation manufacturing training curricula for nationwide implementation.

In addition to WATC, the lead institution, colleges from four other states comprise the consortium: Tulsa Community College (Okla.), Ivy Tech Community College (Ind.), Guilford Technical Community College (N.C.), and Edmonds Community College (Wash.).

Each college is located in a service area that contains an aviation manufacturing cluster. Primary administration of the grant is headquartered at WATC and each college contributes a project coordinator.

This first annual peer-to-peer conference allowed the partner colleges to share their best practices and continue developing action plans as the next steps in moving the project forward.

“The conference gave everyone the opportunity to meet face-to-face and begin building the collaboration and commitment that is so important to completing a national project like this,” said Denise Pfeifer, NAC Grant Project Manager.

Keynote speaker, Jennifer McNelly, president of the Manufacturing Institute in Washington, D.C. explained the national need for aviation and gave an overview of the project.

Additional sessions guided faculty and instructors through a discussion on curriculum integration and assessments. Project coordinators from each college received training on grant compliance and implementation.

“The goal of this meeting was to kick-off the grant and start working as a team as we implement this project – and I would have to say we accomplished that goal,” said Pfeifer.

For those who could not attend the two day conference, technology was used to live stream presentations right to their desktops.

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This past Saturday, the halls of WATC’s Southside Education Center (SSC) and National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT) were filled for the 9th Annual Merit Badge College.

More than 500 Boy Scouts and over 300 Adult Scout Leaders eager to learn new skills and knowledge attended from the Wichita area, Topeka and Blackwell, OK.

Scott Lucas, WATC Director of Institutional Research and former Boy Scout said he, “talked to numerous boys and leaders from in and out of the local area who love coming here every year or were thoroughly enjoying their first experience.”

An all-day event, it gave scouts an opportunity to earn two merit badges and experience WATC’s exciting programs like robotics, welding and crime prevention.

Troop leaders are anxiously awaiting the date of next year’s event to add to their calendars. Linda Sessions, WATC Lead Faculty, Computer Technology thanked the event volunteers saying, “It is your dedication and commitment to the event that makes it so good.”

This was a way for WATC to get involved with the community and reach Scouts who could be future WATC students. Those who helped support and coordinate this unique learning experience received more than they expected.

“These boys showed respect, character, honesty and much more. They really made an impact on the staff and volunteers here at WATC. I am so glad that I was able to be a part of something so awesome and fun,” said Bryan Porter, WATC student and event volunteer.

The Merit Badge College is an incredible opportunity for Boy Scouts and WATC to be a part of together. “I place a lot of value in helping young men work towards their scouting goals. Your hard work helps us all make this event better each year,” Scott Lucas.

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WATC seeks a consulting firm to develop data management and performance reporting system in connection with a recently-awarded U.S. Department of Labor grant. WATC is the lead institution in a consortium of U.S. community colleges developing industry-approved aviation manufacturing training curricula for nationwide implementation.

For more information and to submit a proposal, please reference RFP #12-124. Proposals are due by 4:00 p.m. CST on February 15, 2013.  All questions should be directed to Denise Pfeifer at dpfeifer@watc.edu via email.

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Wichita, Kans. — Going, going, gone are the days of bountiful, entry-level manufacturing jobs for applicants lacking an industry-recognized credential. Today’s job seekers fare better and go further with a certificate demonstrating the job candidate’s possession of relevant skills.

This clear message emerged from the Kansas Skills Summit hosted Oct. 29, 2012 by the Kansas Department of Commerce at WATC’s National Center for Aviation Training campus. Governor Sam Brownback and other state and national leaders touted and discussed the increasingly-important role of industry-recognized credentials to meet employer needs and to help employees earn family-sustaining wages.

“We’re really trying to get our state to the front of the pack on this,” Governor Brownback said. “We’re trying to urge the business community to say… if you’re going to work here, you’re going to need a certification. Healthcare has done it, now we need to do it in manufacturing.”

Jennifer McNelly, president of the Manufacturing Institute in Washington, D.C., acknowledged that only three of 10 parents encourage their children to go into manufacturing in spite of the industry’s competitive wages and a need for strong minds and creative thinking. Outdated stereotypes about manufacturing have not caught up with reality for many of today’s high-tech, high-wage manufacturing job opportunities available to those with industry-recognized credentials earned at technical and community colleges, McNelly argued.

Pat George, Kansas Secretary of Commerce, agreed.

“We must invest in human capital,” George said. You talk to any business leader and it’s all about the people and the leadership and having the right people in the right place. Many technical jobs often pay more. When I was in high school, the perception was that you needed to go get that four-year degree. And those seeking a technical degree weren’t held in high esteem. But today it might be better if we go and get that technical education first as a means to pay the way through a four-year degree.”

With more than a dozen technical and community college presidents on hand, attendees emphasized the need for industry credentials, technical certificates and two-year degrees. Business leaders were similarly enthusiastic. Debbie Gann, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs at Spirit AeroSystems, explained that credentialed employees require less training, are more productive and remain employed longer. Gann’s view is one that other businesses are beginning to share, but there’s still a long way to go.

“Some employers haven’t made the connection between the cost of the certification and the resulting benefit,” said Dr. Duane Dunn, president of Seward County Community College.

As the emphasis on industry-recognized credentials continues to grow, WATC and its National Center for Aviation Training campus are perfectly positioned as a critical part of the equation.

Managed by Wichita Area Technical College (WATC), the National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT) is the world’s premier facility for the development of a skilled aviation manufacturing workforce. Additionally, a portion of the space is utilized by Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR). Located in Wichita, KS, the Air Capital of the World, NCAT was built by Sedgwick County in 2010 and boasts 220,000 sq. ft. of state-of-the-art training labs and classrooms.

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Beginning December 2012, you can find out how close you are to getting your degree and just what you need to complete it by using the new myDegreePlan online tool inside MyWATC.

myDegreePlan is a tool that . . .

• Provides real-time information about the courses you’ve taken and specific course options to satisfy degree requirements
• Speeds time to graduation — make sure you take classes that count toward your degree
• Allows direct access to multiple related services and information through links to class schedules, GPA Calculators etc.
• Guides students in developing their educational plan

DegreeWorks Student Guide

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WATC seeks a marketing firm to develop an outreach strategy, logo and branding, web content development, advertising, collateral materials, and other resources in connection with a recently-awarded U.S. Department of Labor grant. WATC is the lead institution in a consortium of U.S. community colleges developing industry-approved aviation manufacturing training curricula for nationwide implementation.

For more information and to submit a proposal, please reference RFP #12-123. Proposals are due by 4:00 p.m. on January 9, 2013. Deliverables will be due by July, 2013. All questions should be directed to Denise Pfeifer at dpfeifer@watc.edu via email.

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