Features
Hot Career-driven degrees
Where will the jobs of the future be?
The U.S. Department of Labor says that more than three out of 10 new jobs created in the coming years nationally will be in either the healthcare, social assistance or public and private educational sectors. Arkansas’s two-year colleges are preparing students for jobs in those sectors as well as others.
ENERGY
In North Central Arkansas the petroleum industry is creating a boom, fueling the development of University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton’s Petroleum Technology Program.
Now three years old, the program was created in direct response to the needs of the natural gas companies that are drilling into the Fayetteville Shale Play. As the drilling began, it quickly became apparent to gas companies that they needed to find trained employees from the surrounding area, says Jacob Ward, UACCM program coordinator.
Because of the college’s location (there are approximately 500 natural gas wells in Conway County alone), it was the perfect choice for the new program.
It is proving to be a quickly growing degree program.
“Originally, we started with 36 students and we now have more than 200 in the program,” Ward says.
The degree allows UACCM graduates to find jobs and allows them to advance quickly.
“We have a high placement rate. Last fall, 90 percent of our graduates found jobs in the field,” he says.
With an expected $18 billion economic development over the next four years, it’s not surprising that students are entering the program.
While UACCM is preparing its students for a degree in the petroleum industry, the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope is helping its students work toward a degree in Power Plant Technology.
“We have 100 students already,” says Marketing and Public Relations specialist Brent Talley about the college’s newest program.
So new, in fact, its first classes officially meet this fall, and include subjects such as welding, wiring, industrial electricity, along with its general education requirements.
The goal of the program is to help students gain entry-level employment in the operation of facilities (whether a power plant or a company that produces its own power) where steam or electricity is generated. This degree is a perfect fit for those who are interested in working for the John W. Turk Power Plant planned for the nearby Fulton community.
All participants in the program must successfully complete the courses listed in the first year of study, referred to as the “Core,” and upon completion, students must select a major emphasis from one of the four options: Power Plant Operation, Electrical & Instrument Tech, Welding or Machinist.
Graduates will master the theories and responsibilities of plant operations and the mechanical and chemical technologies needed for working in related industrial operations, Talley says.
As an added incentive, students who declare a major in Power Plant Technology are eligible for a scholarship that will cover their tuition. There are also funds available to cover a portion of student books and tools.
“It’s a great opportunity for those who have been laid-off in this area,” Talley says.
The program is economic insurance, he adds. “It’s a unique program that is as important today as it will be in the future.”
‘READY TO FLY’
Henderson State University offers Arkansas’s only four-year, university-level program in aviation. With experienced faculty, 15 aircraft, and more than 15 flight instructors, Henderson aims to provide students the training and education necessary to prepare them for a career in the professional aviation industry.
The program offers three tracks that lead to a bachelor’s degree in science, including professional pilot, aviation management and aviation maintenance management. Students can learn to fly for the airlines, manage the airports they serve, or manage the fleet they fly.
Flight training is conducted at the Arkadelphia Municipal Airport in a new flight operations center. Henderson operates the airport’s fixed base operation and offers flight instruction, rentals, pilot supplies and fuel services. Classrooms and flight simulators are located in the Caplinger Airway Science Academic Center on campus.
Safety is stressed in all aspects of the program. The department is one of a select few in the nation that was recognized recently for excellence in aviation safety.
When a student completes the aviation degree requirements at Henderson, he or she is “well-prepared to enter the job market,” says aviation instructor Troy Hogue. “They graduate as commercial pilots. They are ready to fly.”
WELDING AND WEBSITES
 | | SAU Tech supports the growing demand for welders. |
Nationwide there’s a growing demand for welders. In Arkansas, a good welder can expect to earn about $25 an hour, or as much as $60 an hour outside Arkansas.
“Of course, computer networking or repair, teaching, as well as website design and graphics are popular choices,” Gunnels says.
HEALTH CAREERS
The Labor Department says health services and education are “projected to grow by 18.8 percent, and add more jobs, nearly 5.5 million, than any other industry supersector.”
Growth in the health is already underway in Arkansas, says Arkansas State University at Jonesboro Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professionals Susan Hanrahan.
Nursing offers lots of workplace choices — hospitals, doctor’s offices, schools, clinics, adult daycare, homes, rehab centers. The list goes on, Hanrahan says.
ASU graduates more nurses than any other public institution in the state, and the university at Jonesboro continues to expand its College of Nursing and Health Professions.
This fall, the university’s College of Nursing and Health Professions will be relocated to the new Donald W. Reynolds Center for Health Sciences building.
The call for the 50,000-square-foot facility was fueled by the extraordinary growth of the College of Nursing and Health Professions. It “critically” needed additional room for new programs, equipment, research, increased enrollment and faculty, and areas for simulations and academic assignments, Hanrahan says.
“Our college had grown tremendously and we were out of space,” she says.
The building doubles the available square footage of the university’s healthcare programs, and links together three health educational buildings, which house a general nursing center with ICU and maternity simulation rooms, nurse anesthesia simulation laboratory and two health assessment learning laboratories.
The expansion offers students greater opportunities for learning before caring for actual people in a clinical setting.
It also gives us breathing room and allows us to take advantage of future opportunities,” Hanrahan says.
University of Arkansas Community College at Hope is also seeing student enrollment explode in its nursing and emergency medical service programs. Last spring, the two-year college registered a record number of students, and its graduating class was the largest to date.
“I think the economy has a role in bringing new students,” public relations specialist Brent Talley says. It’s a great time for a student to rethink their future.
At Mid-South Community College, publicty coordinator Don Threm says, “Nursing is a big program.” Arkansas State University partners with the community college and offers associate and bachelor’s degrees in nursing and a bachelor’s degree in radiologic technology.
For those who are interested in pursuing a career in these careers, this is a opportune time to sign up for classes, Gunnels says.
A GROWING CONCERN — WINE ON CAMPUS
While many of Arkansas Tech University’s students aren’t old enough to legally drink alcohol, its Ozark campus is now offering a Technical Certificate in Viticulture and Enology, preparing students for winemaking jobs.
The Ozark campus is in the heart of Arkansas’s winemaking country, and the university believes the certificates will support the area’s grape-growing industry.
“Viticulture in Arkansas represents a unique and very old industry in our region and will provide high-skill and high-wage employment for graduates,” says Robert Cowie, president of Cowie Wine Cellars in Paris, Arkansas.
The new program will prepare students for entry- and mid-level positions in the grape-growing and winemaking industries.
Crowie believes there is a real need for training in these fields, and that this program will provide local businesses with qualified personnel, as well as encouraging economic development.
Ken Warden, chief business and industry coordinator at Arkansas Tech’s Ozark campus, says, “This is a unique program. Not only will it support the current industry, it will spur entrepreneurial efforts and act as an economic development tool via increased tourism.”
Michael Post, president of Mount Bethel winery in Altus, stated in a letter of support to the university, “The ability to hire trained and educated personnel for my business would be an asset and a luxury that I do not have. Currently, my only option is to hire workers uneducated and untrained in the fields of viticulture and enology and train them on the job.”
A FLAIR FOR BUSINESS
Part of the University of Arkansas system, the Sam M. Walton College of Business at Fayetteville offers its students a chance at a world-class education.
Dixie Kline, head of the college’s communication department, says undergraduates and graduates in the school “are serious about their careers,” and the college reflects their ambition.
“Our goal is to help our students get ahead of the curve before graduation and to succeed,” she says.
For instance, the Leadership Walton program offers a unique blend of academic, leadership and career development opportunities specifically designed to guide the student toward professional success.
Walton is also big on working with students outside the classroom.
“We help students learn how to manage their time and live a healthier lifestyle,” Kline says. In addition, they help students with internships, learn how to form business connections and plan for graduation.
The college’s technology is the latest and on par with what is found in today’s corporate offices.
For example, in the recently opened Willard J. Walker Hall’s trading center (one of three trading centers), students can buy and trade stocks. The high-tech Walker Hall was made possible by an $8 million gift from the Pat and Willard Walker Charitable Foundation.
“Recruiters are interested in our graduates,” she says. Their students are finding jobs in a number of areas, including information systems, marketing, logistics and transportation and accounting.
Business Week ranked Walton’s accounting department in 19th place among the top public undergraduate business schools.
The college also offers a master’s degree in accounting, which is paying its graduates bonuses beyond school.
Despite the challenges of the current job market, 72 percent of the MBA students who graduated this spring managed to find a job, according to the college’s website. That number jumped to 80 percent one month after graduation.
The 2009 class managed to outperform their 2008 counterparts by four percent.
Graduates saw a substantial increase in their paychecks once they had their MBAs in hand. Overall, the average salary of employed graduates is $61,531, an average increase of $28,091 over their pay while still a student.
|
|
