Author: UA Workforce Development

Alaska Governor Bill Walker Proclaims February as CTE Month

Career and Technical Education Month

WHEREAS, Career and Technical Education (CTE) offers students the opportunity to gain the academic, technical, and employability skills necessary for true career readiness; and

WHEREAS, leaders from business and industry, both in Alaskan and across the nation, report increasing challenges related to the skills gap and connecting qualified professionals with available careers in critical and growing CTE-related fields including healthcare, energy, natural resource development, and information technology; and

WHEREAS, Career and Technical Education prepares students for these and other fulfilling careers by offering integrated programs of study that link secondary and postsecondary education and lead to the attainment of industry-recognized credentials; and

WHEREAS, the Alaska Departments of Education & Early Development and Labor and Workforce Development and the University of Alaska system are jointly implementing the statewide CTE plan to ensure a comprehensive, integrated career and technical education system for Alaska; and

WHEREAS, ensuring that Alaskan employers have access to a qualified workforce is a crucial step in ensuring productivity among the business and industry communities as well as continued Alaskan economic growth and global competitiveness.

NOW THEREFORE, I, Bill Walker, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF ALASKA, do hereby proclaim February 2016 as:

Career and Technical Education Month

in Alaska, and encourage all Alaskans to become familiar with the services and benefits offered by the career and technical education programs in this community and to support and participate in these programs to enhance their individual skills and productivity.

Click here for a PDF copy of the proclamation.

Source: Alaska Governor Bill Walker

OSHA Standards for the Maritime Industry – Register Today!

OSHA
Maritime industry work has traditionally been hazardous, with an injury-accident rate more than twice that of construction and general industry. As the Maritime Industry continues to boom in Alaska, there is no better time to ensure you and your collOSHARegistereagues are safe on the job!

OSHA 5410 covers OSHA policies, procedures, and standards for the maritime industry. Using the OSHA Maritime Standards as a guide, special emphasis is placed on those areas in the maritime industry which are most hazardous.

Upon course completion students will define maritime terms found in the OSHA Maritime Standards, identify hazards in the maritime industry and determine appropriate controls and abatement, locate OSHA Maritime Standards, policies and procedures, and describe the use of the OSHA Maritime Standards and regulations to supplement an ongoing safety and health program.

We are proud to offer training to maritime workers, as well as opportunities for maritime industry professionals to advance their careers through our Maritime Safety and Health Specialist Certificate Program or, by becoming an OSHA Outreach Trainer. Visit our website to learn more about these programs.

The upcoming training in Anchorage will also be available via videoconference at the Homer Campus of UAA Kenai Peninsula College.

Source: Pacific NW OSHA Education Center

Gunnar Knapp Honored with Marine Research Award

Dr. Gunnar Knapp, fisheries economist and director of the UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research, has received the 2016 Marine Research Award from the Alaska Sealife Center in Seaward. This honor is given to a scientist, team of scientists or an institution that is acknowledged by peers to have made an original breakthrough contribution to any field of scientific knowledge about Alaska’s oceans.

Knapp has been studying fisheries management, fisheries markets and the world seafood industry for more than 25 years, focusing particularly on the Alaska salmon industry. Knapp’s willingness and ability to build close links with all sectors of the industry make him an inspiration to researchers in his field. He has written numerous articles and reports on salmon markets, trends in limited entry permit ownership, the effects of halibut and crab IFQs, the Chignik salmon co-op, implications of climate change and the economic impacts of Alaska fisheries. Knapp is closely engaged with the seafood industry and policy makers in Alaska. Currently, he is writing a book, The Economics of Fish, which is intended as an introduction to the insights provided by economics about fisheries, aquaculture and the seafood industry.

Knapp received the Marine Research Award at the 2016 Alaska Marine Science Symposium, held at the end of January. Please join us in congratulating him on this honor.

Source: Green & Gold News

February is CTE MONTH®

CTEMonthCTE Month® is a public awareness campaign the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) holds each February to celebrate Career and Technical Education and the achievements and accomplishments of CTE programs across the country. CTE Month 2016, with its theme of “Opportunities for Career Success”, gives you the chance to tell stories of leadership and excellence from your local CTE programs and raise awareness of the crucial role that CTE plays in readying our students for careers and our nation for economic success. Check the link below for more information on how you can get involved.

Source: CTEMONTH.ORG

Workforce Wednesday: Careers in Health Care

According to the Alaska Department of Labor, the number of Alaskans older than 65 years old will increase by 79 percent by the year 2022. This means from nurses and doctors to EMTs and physical therapists, the need for workers in Alaska’s healthcare industry is only expected to grow.

One option to kickstart your career is one of Alaska’s Area Health Education Centers. They’re based in Anchorage, with regional centers throughout the state.

Gloria Burnett, the director of Alaska’s Area Health Education Centers, joined Daybreak Wednesday to share how statewide programs can help people get into the industry.

“We’re a pipeline program and we’re a statewide program, so even in rural communities we provide opportunities through outreach presentations — job shadows, intensive summer camps, really just hands on experiences to engage people of all ages in health care careers,” Burnett said. “The really neat thing about our program is you can take part in these experiences in your community, in your rural community.”

Interested? Contact Martha Peck, the outreach and education coordinator with Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium, at 907-770-5250.

Source: Workforce Wednesday: Careers in health care | KTVA Anchorage CBS 11