AVONDALE, Arizona – The SouthWest Skill Center (SWSC) at Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC), one of ten Maricopa Community Colleges, recently celebrated the accomplishments of 94 students at their Spring Completion Ceremony.
The March 7th ceremony honored and recognized students receiving their Certificates of Completion from the Healthcare and Industrial Skills programs offered at EMCC. Since 1999, the SouthWest Skill Center has offered short-term, trade and technical training for career-specific fields in allied health and industrial skills. Both tracks have seen continued high-demand for certified, skilled professionals who are career-ready.
The two largest cohort classes were the Spanish Medical Interpreter and Medical Billing and Coding, both with 18 graduates. The Medical Assistant program had 17 graduates, followed by 16 in Practical Nursing, 12 in Nurse Assistant, 10 in Phlebotomy and three in Industrial Electronic Technology.
Two students were selected to speak at the Completion Ceremony based on their accomplishments: Anthony Denofre from the Practical Nurse (PN) program and Dale Thompson in the Industrial Electronics Technology program.
Dale Thompson had to manage his life with much precision over the past year. He was a full-time student at EMCC in Avondale, employed full-time at a job in Gila Bend, and lives in Buckeye with his wife and four children. Needless to say, Thompson spent a lot of time traveling and keeping focused on all that was important to him.
Thompson was offered a Maintenance Technician position at Gila Bend’s Calgon Carbon in spring of 2013. Even though he had an impressive resume and the required skills for the job, Calgon wanted him to have certified credentials and advanced training. So the company generously offered him the job with the opportunity to attend EMCC on their dime.
“I was excited to get the job offer, but when they included the tuition for my college certification training, I felt honored by their confidence in my abilities,” said Thompson.
Calgon Carbon is a national company that recycles the carbon used in water filtration and purification processes. According to Thompson, the Gila Bend facility has local clients, including most municipalities, and also receives carbon from California and Georgia, to name a few. Thompson is responsible for maintaining the plant’s primary equipment and operations.
Both Calgon and Thompson recognized the quality of professional and unique training that EMCC provides, and how the Industrial Electronics Technology program was a perfect fit.
“The instructors were certified industry professionals with diverse experience and knowledge,” said Thompson. “I learned exactly what I needed to advance my skills at Calgon and their focus on industry safety was always first and foremost.”
The Industrial Skills programs offered at EMCC include Industrial Electronic Technology, Distribution Logistics and Precision Manufacturing. These hard-skilled programs were developed based on local and regional workforce development needs.
SWSC students completing the PN program have an impressive 90 percent first-time pass rate on the exam leading to LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) designation. For students continuing into the EMCC Registered Nurse transfer program, there is an 84 percent pass rate for the exam leading to their RN license. The Center has been acclaimed for its active learning in a highly technological environment, such as the simulation lab which creates a practicum patient experience for students.