Monroe County Community College

4/21/2009

Nuclear Energy Industry

According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, about 30 percent of the nuclear energy workforce will retire in the next five years. To help meet this need in our area, MCCC, Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio, and DTE Energy joined forces to bring a nuclear engineering technology program to the MCCC campus. The program allows students to earn an associate of applied science degree in nuclear engineering technology from LCC by completing the initial 48 credit hours of coursework at MCCC and the remaining 24 credit hours of LCC coursework on the MCCC campus via distance learning.

Another Partnership with DTE Energy

MCCC also partnered with DTE Energy on the development of a heavy construction management certificate program designed specifically for power plants. The program leverages MCCC s current construction management program and enhances topics that are specific for DTE Energy Power Plant supervisors and personnel.

Nontraditional Gender Occupations

MCCC was issued a Perkins state-funded grant to help MCCC students interested in pursuing degrees in select occupational programs traditionally dominated by the opposite gender, such as welding or construction management for women or nursing or respiratory therapy for men.

Proposed Career Technology Center: Training for High-tech Jobs

MCCC is working closely with its legislators to bring the proposed new Career Technology Center a state-of-the-art facility designed to prepare students for high-tech, high-paying jobs closer to fruition. The facility would provide much needed infrastructure to upgrade existing occupational programs, as well as allow for the development of additional programming currently under consideration.

Nursing

MCCC s Health Sciences Division announced that beginning in January, the number of qualified applicants accepted into the registered nursing program each year will increase from 40 to 60. Enrollment in the licensed practical nursing certificate program was doubled to 20 students last year. The program began in January 2007 with an initial class of 10 students. The nurse aide practice certificate course began in January 2006, and 27 students completed the certificate that first year. Last year, 51 students completed the certificate. The phlebotomy certificate program began five years ago and typically enrolled 13-15 students per year. Last year, the program was expanded and enrollment tripled to 43.

Non-credit Health Care

MCCC has partnered with Reed Vision and Reed Medical Systems to create a new non-credit certificate program in ophthalmic assisting, a field in which hundreds of technicians are needed locally and thousands to tens of thousands are needed nationally. More than 100 students participated in other non-credit health care programs last year, including emergency medical technician, EKG technician, pharmacy technician, medical billing and coding and medical assistant administration.

Creating the Ideal Learning Environment

And to make all these programs even more successful? MCCC has created a prototype technologically-enhanced classroom with an ideal learning environment that will be used as a model for further classroom renovations, which are in progress. The classroom contains a number of carefully selected features, such as new, learner-friendly room colors, flooring, ceiling tiles, lighting, electronic equipment, tables and seating. In addition, a great deal of behind the walls work was done to address items like acoustics, temperature comfort, cable control, ambient noise, energy management, aesthetics, teaching efficiency and overall comfort.