Tag: UAA

Ship Escort/Response Vessel System (SERVS) Program

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Since 1998, Prince William Sound College has assisted Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in conducting annual oil spill response training under the Ship Escort/Response Vessel System (SERVS) Fishing Vessel Program by providing instructors and logistical support. The Fishing Vessel Program is required by the oil discharge prevention and contingency plans for both the Valdez Marine Terminal and the tankers which transport crude oil through Prince William Sound. Without a trained fishing vessel fleet, a response to a crude oil spill in the Sound could not be carried out.

Annual fishing vessel training instructs Tier I and Tier II fishing vessel crews in response equipment use, response tactics, communications, Incident Command System, and response plans through indoor and outdoor classes and on-water drills, so they are prepared to respond to a major oil spill at any time. The training is offered in six ports, Kodiak, Homer, Seward, Whittier, Valdez, and Cordova to over 1800 students on over 420 fishing vessels. The most recent trainings were carried out in these ports between March and May, 2016.

Prince William Sound College also maintains a team of instructors and staff to provide training to vessels in all six ports that might be contracted during a spill response, but which otherwise have no response training. In a major oil spill event, this program will be activated immediately to ensure vessels are ready to support the response in whatever way is needed.

Source: Prince William Sound College

Life at ‘the Big House’: Inside Alaska’s Largest Fire Station

Zach Stubbs, A.A.S. Fire Science ’06, brought a bit of blue collar to this April’s ‘Top Forty under 40’ awards. As a captain at Alaska’s largest fire station, his team responds to an incredibly diverse array of emergencies (and occasionally they stick around to fold the laundry). Read the full article here.

Source: UAA Green & Gold News

What Is Arctic Engineering? Protecting Infrastructure From Climate Change


Temperatures in the Arctic are rising twice as fast as any other place on the planet. That is the challenge currently facing arctic engineers, the frozen ground specialists charged with maintaining and expanding regional infrastructure. It’s a big challenge for a young discipline. Arctic engineering has only been recognized as its own discipline since the creation of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System in the 1970s. Now, the big thaw threatens roads, bridges, and buildings. Who ya gonna call?

Hannele Zubeck, professor of engineering at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, would be a pretty good person to start with. She has been working in cold regions engineering since 1985 and is Vice President of the International Association for Cold Regions Development Studies. She’s passionate about teaching the next generation of arctic engineers, who will be tasked with preserving and building in one of the most rapidly changing regions in the world.

Read the entire article here.

Source: What Is Arctic Engineering? Protecting Infrastructure From Climate Change | Inverse

Workforce Wednesday: Auto Tech Careers

Automotive technicians and specialists are who companies turn to when repairs are needed for fleets of vehicles. Even the Municipality of Anchorage needs them for its vehicles, as do used car lots and rental car companies. According to the Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium, there are plenty of jobs out there with decent pay.

“The pay can range depending on how much training you have had,” said APICC spokeswoman Cari-Ann Carty. “Lower entry-level positions are about $28,000 a year. Moving into more experienced and more training, $40,000 to $60,000 a year. And the operations manager’s side, that type of thing, over $100,000 a year. It can be quite lucrative.”

One of the best facilities to get training for this field in Alaska is the University of Alaska Anchorage.

UAA Training Programs

  • Automotive Technologies
  • Undergraduate Certificate: one to two years
  • Associate Degree: two to three years
  • B.S. Applied Tech Management: four to five years

Companies Hiring

  • Municipality of Anchorage
  • Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
  • Alaska Transport
  • General Motors (GM) Dealers
  • Kenworth Alaska
  • Holland America Cruises

APICC Outreach Coordinator

  • Martha Peck
    (907) 770-5250
    Martha@apicc.org

For more information on employment and training, click here.

Source: Workforce Wednesday: Auto Tech Careers | KTVA Anchorage CBS 11