Wichita Colleges Train Region's Workforce
Wichita Area Technical College in Wichita, KS
Students learn to do aircraft maintenance at Wichita Area Technical College. Wichita Area Technical College offers hands-on training in 30 occupational programs.
Bombardier Learjet has used college services, and so have Cessna Aircraft, H&R Block, Sherwin-Williams and The Wichita Eagle.
Officials with Butler Community College say a big key to Wichita's sophisticated and innovative economy is a highly skilled and trained workforce, so the college oversees the Business Performance Group. The group offers solution-focused corporate training programs to help individuals become more productive and companies more profitable.
“We work closely with local businesses and industries to know what are the hottest industries for Wichita college students and workforces to train for,” says Pedro Leite, dean of the Advanced Technology Center at Butler Community College. “We are always talking to business advisory boards so that we can make our college curriculum as current as possible for what local businesses need now and in the future.”
Leite uses the example of composite materials, a major industry within Wichita’s aerospace sector. Composites are lightweight, flexible, ultra-strong materials used for aerospace components such as fuselages, wings, tails and propellers. “Our advanced training programs at Butler include composite engineer technology, with many of our currently enrolled students being sought after and serving internships at aerospace companies throughout Wichita,” Leite says. “Machinists in other fields who are laid off are now coming to us for retraining in our composite manufacturing program, so they can become in demand once again in the workforce.”
Another red-hot program at Butler Community College is Interactive 3D, which involves video game development. “I have also begun an annual technology camp for girls ages 12-16 to give them an introduction and a big-picture look at advanced technologies,” Leite says. “Wichita needs to keep the pipeline flowing and get younger people interested in advanced careers so they can eventually replace those who retire. Every girl who has attended the technology camp so far has been enthusiastic about what they have learned.”
Wichita Area Technical College is also involved in training students and workers for high-paying, in-demand careers. The college offers hands-on training in 30 occupational programs and also works closely with area businesses. “Yes, aerospace is huge in this part of Kansas, and we provide much of the curriculum at the National Center for Aviation Training in Wichita,” says Sheree Utash, senior vice president of academic affairs and learner services at Wichita Area Technical College. “Composites, maintenance, avionics, robotics, welding, coatings – we cover it all.”
Utash adds that Wichita is also a major center for health, and Wichita Area Technical offers a number of advanced health care training programs. “This college is a microcosm of the community we live in," she says, "so working closely with business and industry helps us deliver a high-tech, high-wage, high-demand career pipeline for students."
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN THE WICHITA AREA
Kansas University School of Medicine-Wichita
Wichita Area Technical College
Greater Wichita Educational Attainment
Population 25 years and over
Some college, no degree, 23 percent
Associate degree, 7.6 percent
Bachelor's degree, 17.3 percent
Graduate or professional degree, 8.7 percent
Percent high school graduate or higher 88.4 percent
Percent bachelor's degree or higher 26.0 percent
Source: Center for Economic Development and Business Research, Wichita State University, October 2008
Comments
Post new comment