Department of Education and Early Development – Career and Technical Education awarded four competitive grants in FY17. A brief description of each effort and program contact follows. If you are interested in participating, have questions, or would like more information, please contact the program directly.
Alaska Healthcare Education Consortium
The Alaska AHEC Program will be utilizing the 2017 Postsecondary Perkins grant funds to focus on the Human Services cluster of healthcare through the Behavioral Health Career Pathways Initiative. The AHEC program will be offering introductory career exploration camps for youth via a regional rotation throughout Alaska. The camp piloted in 2015 in Barrow and was expanded in 2016 to include Fairbanks and Anchorage. In summer 2016, the camp will rotate to Nome, Bethel and Ketchikan. The camp, which aims to increase student interest and enrollment in training programs and employment in behavioral healthcare, provides dual credit opportunities, Mental Health First Aid certification and hands on experiential learning in the field of behavioral health. Recruitment for 2017 camps will be slated to start in January 2017. Interested parties can contact Gloria Burnett gburnett3@alaska.edu 907-786-6705 with questions or opportunities for partnership.
AVTEC
The main objective of the AVTEC’s Secondary Training Academy (ASTA) is to provide secondary students and their CTE instructors the ability to earn, or make significant progress towards earning, a credential currently valued and validated by an Alaskan Industry. AVTEC will initially target the Maritime priority workforce area during the first year of the project. AVTEC, and their industry partners, will work directly with participating secondary institutions to update and/or create AVTEC articulation agreements/district career pathways that provide a direct and accelerated pathway into living wage careers with current and anticipated vacancies. AVTEC will fully develop the Alaska Maritime Transportation (AMT) CTE Program of Study (CTEP) during this project. Students whom successfully complete the AMT-CTEP will come out as a fully credentialed mariner whom meets the qualifications of entry level employment in the Alaska Maritime Transportation Industry. Please contact Deb Burdick-Hinton, debra.burdick@avtec.edu, 907-224-6140 for more information about this project and please contact Teri Laird teri.laird@avtec.edu, AVTEC Maritime Department Admissions Coordinator, for specific information about AVTEC’s Maritime Training courses. Detailed information about all of AVTEC’s training programs that lead to a “Career in Less Than A Year” can be found at www.avtec.edu
Prince William Sound College
Prince William Sound College (PWSC) will work in partnership with school districts and industry partners to address a need for students prepared to enter postsecondary Allied Health Career pathways. This will be accomplished via a sustainable distance delivery model that can be adapted to high schools’ unique calendars and courses. PWSC’s program will offer 200 class seats totaling 710 credit hours for secondary students in the Copper Basin, Cordova and Valdez areas over the three year period of the grant and develop a model to continue offering the classes after the grant ends. Classes will include Medical Terminology, Introduction to Composition, [Human] Lifespan Development, First Aid-CPR Professionals, Emergency Trauma Technician, Emergency Med Tech I, and Certified Nurse Aide. Student scholarships will be based on a first come first served basis with priority for NTO (males). Please contact Woody Woodgate at (907) 834-1671 or wawoodgate@alaska.edu for more information.
Hiland Mountain Correctional Center
Hiland Mountain Correctional Center has greatly expanded on vocational programs with the help of the Carl Perkins Nontraditional Occupational (NTO) Training and Employment Grant. The award will be utilized to provide technical educational programs to incarcerated women who will be transitioning into NTO fields. With the help of the grants and partnerships, HMCC is able to offer accredited pre-apprenticeships with the Heavy Equipment Operators Union and with the Iron Workers Union, as well as full apprenticeships in Culinary Arts and Building Maintenance Repairer through the Alaska Vocational and Technical Education Center and the US Department of Labor. In addition, the grant pays for certificate training programs in Carpentry, Electrical and Plumbing through Iḷisaġvik College, as well as several other certifications in Hazwoper, MSHA, OSHA, Biohazard, Flagger, Rigging and Scaffolding. The training provided through the grant has provided training that could lead to direct employment to 65 women so far this fiscal year. For more information, please contact Michael Clark at michael.clark@alaska.gov.
For additional information about the Perkins competitive grant process, contact:
Bjørn Wolter, Ph.D.
Career & Technical Education
Alaska Department of Education & Early Development
907.465.6542
bjorn.wolter@alaska.gov
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