Dual enrollment programs provide access to college-level courses to high school students prior to graduation, often helping students become more successful in high school and easing their path to college. Between 2008 and 2017, University of Alaska (UA) dual enrollment programs experienced an 85 percent increase in student enrollment and, among those who graduated from high school, 41 percent went on to attend a UA institution within a year.
The new report, Dual Enrollment in Alaska: A 10-year retrospective and outcome analysis, by Dayna DeFeo, director of ISER’s Center for Alaska Education Policy Research, and Trang Tran, ISER Research Professional, looks at 10 years of UA enrollment records for dual enrollment (DE) offerings and includes 15,473 students who attended Alaska public neighborhood schools. The study provides an overview of dual enrollment – including types of programs, participation, and performance – and highlights opportunities to build on the current successes.
The new hyperbaric therapy center brought 10 jobs to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, which is also expanding to its third floor with a $16.5 million renovation.
Mat-Su Regional Medical Center is now the only place in Alaska where patients can receive hyperbaric treatment.
The program relies on altering air pressure around patients, which can markedly improve patients’ recovery.
“Essentially
what we do is dive them down to 66 to 70 feet below sea level with
100-percent oxygen,” said Dr. Rachel Cuevas, explaining the procedure.
“(It) gives them more oxygen in their system to help heal.”
Cuevas
is the medical director for the Advanced Wound Care and Hyperbaric
Therapy Center that opened in October. She said the new equipment has
changed the way staff care for patients. People with frostbite, for
example, used to have to fly to Seattle for treatment or risk
amputation.
“One
of the first patients we ran in the chamber had lived her entire life
out there in the Valley,” Cuevas said. “She had blood clots go to her
toes and they were looking at amputating seven of her toes. We put her
in the hyperbaric chamber for a number of treatments and we saved all of
her toes.”
Not only is the center providing a new kind of care, it’s also brought about 10 jobs to the Mat-Su.
During Alaska’s recession, health care continues to be a bright spot.
The latest report from UAA’s Institute for Social and Economic Research shows Alaska gained 600 health care jobs in 2018; another 500 are expected to be added this year too.
Cuevas isn’t surprised by that data.
“Health care is one of those things you can’t do without,” she said.
Mat-Su
Regional currently has more than 800 employees. The hospital will add
dozens of more jobs as it expands operations to the building’s third
floor and opens a new behavioral health unit.
“We’re
in the east wing of our medical surgical unit, we’re expanding and
adding 35 beds,” said CEO Dave Wallace, showing off the new area that’s
still under construction. The entire renovation will cost about $16.5
million.
Wallace
said Mat-Su Regional’s emergency room is often overcrowded, but the
addition means more space for treatment to meet the growing needs of the
region’s rising population.
“There
are also nursing homes coming to the Valley for the first time and
other services we work in tandem with, so we’re excited about developing
the work force and making this a great place for health care workers to
come,” he said.
Career and technical education, or CTE, is education that directly
prepares students for high-wage, high-demand careers. CTE covers many
different fields, including health care, information technology,
advanced manufacturing, hospitality and management and many more, as
described in the national Career Clusters® and ACTE’s What is CTE? page and Sector Sheets.
CTE encompasses many different types of education, from classroom
learning to certification programs to work-based learning opportunities
outside the classroom.
What is CTE Month?
Career and Technical Education Month®, or CTE Month®,
is a public awareness campaign that takes place each February to
celebrate the value of CTE and the achievements and accomplishments of
CTE programs across the country.
What can I do to celebrate CTE Month?
Host a school visit and invite members of your local community to learn about your school’s strong CTE programs firsthand
Trends begins 2019 with the Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development annual jobs forecast. For this year, they forecast a small amount of overall job growth. Regionally, the Fairbanks area’s employment will grow the most, largely tied to the preparations to house two F-35 squadrons at Eielson Air Force base over the next couple of years as well as the accompanying personnel and their families.
Source: Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development
UA Workforce Development News 