Barstow Community College’s new training center will prepare local workforce

Public/private partnership allows college to open center with a computer lab and larger areas for automobile and welding classes
 
Nov. 28, 2011 - PRLog -- A new training center at Barstow Community College that will help students prepare for technical careers and improve the region’s economy will be officially unveiled December 1. An open house will be held 6-8 p.m. at 1501 State Street.

Ken Eaves, dean of workforce and economic development at the college, said businesses look to establish operations in the area due to the proximity to railroads and the interstate. But they also want a trained workforce.

The college aims to provide that. Faced with some of the highest unemployment rates in California, Eaves has worked to expand the physical work space and class size of the college’s technical programs, which have been tagged with the motto “live, learn and earn locally.”

The newly opened Career Education and Workforce Development Center has more advanced and larger training areas for welding and automotive classes and a computer lab. “I don’t think you can do economic development without workforce development,” Eaves said.

The college has shared training space with a high school since 1998 when the focus moved away from technical education. “There was a phase out of that and now we’re trying to rebuild,” Eaves said.

Various grants funded equipment at the center, and Mike Lewis, a local businessman, leased the space for the center to the college at a discount. The size of the welding area is now 10 times larger and the automotive area is about 20 times larger, Eaves said.

This is just the start of the corporate collaborations Eaves has in mind. He is already courting local businesses that need training space with the type of technology the labs offer.

He’s also targeting potential students – local high school students and veterans who are familiar with the equipment used on military bases and want to stay in the area. Getting teens engaged in this type of work is particularly important. If teenagers understand that they can earn a living locally, this could reduce the dropout rate while supplying businesses with the workers they need.

“This provides hands on experience that they’ve never been able to have,” Eaves said.

In developing the center’s offerings, Eaves looked at the types of jobs local industries have available. That has meant expanding the diesel automotive and welding programs for jobs at area military bases, adding an alternative energy area and speaking with local mining companies about the expertise they need.

The idea is to train local residents so companies do not have to import people from outside the region to work. Eaves said many people brought in from outside the region leave in six months, and that puts businesses in an expensive and constant training cycle.

“They know what it’s like to live in 112 degrees,” he said of employing local workers.

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About the Desert Regional Consortium of Community Colleges: The Desert Regional Consortium consists of 13 community colleges and two community college districts in Riverside, San Bernardino and Kern counties. The consortium assists colleges in providing professional development opportunities and designing programs to improve workforce training and technical education. The consortium was formed to address the economic development needs of industry, government and the community.

More info: www.desertcolleges.org

Consortium members: Barstow College, Cerro Coso Community College, Chaffey College, College of the Desert, Copper Mountain College, Crafton Hills College, Mt. San Jacinto College, Moreno Valley College, Norco College, Palo Verde College, Riverside City College, Riverside Community College District, San Bernardino Community College District, San Bernardino Valley College, Victor Valley College
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