Pine Technical College to host financial aid workshop, Mar. 27

Mark your calendars! To assist students in preparing and applying for financial aid, Pine Technical College will host a Minnesota College Goal workshop event, Mar. 27, 3:30 p.m. PTC financial aid staff members will provide professional assistance with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), as well as helpful information about additional methods for paying for college such as loans, scholarships, and more.

“For a lot of new students, the financial aid process can be a little overwhelming at first,” says Shawn Reynolds, PTC’s Director of Financial Aid. “By offering workshops like this, we can help students and their families navigate the process and also explain the ins-and-outs of aid, loans, grants, and scholarships, and that goes a long way in easing an applicant’s worries about paying for college,” Reynolds adds.

Minnesota College Goal is a statewide volunteer program that provides free assistance to students and families applying for financial aid for postsecondary education. New and returning students and their families are welcome to attend PTC’s free workshop. To complete the FAFSA at the workshop, attendees should come prepared and bring the following with them: social security number; alien registration number (if not a U. S. citizen); driver’s license number; last year’s tax information or tax returns (for both the applicant and his or her parents); information on savings, investments, and business and farm assets (for both the applicant and his or her parents); and, records of untaxed income.

Department gets new name, Child Care Aware

The department formerly known as Child Care Resource and Referral has changed its name to Child Care Aware® of Minnesota – Northeast. Since opening its doors more than 25 years ago, the statewide system of agencies has served more than 60,000 parents seeking quality child care and more than 100,000 child care professionals seeking professional development. Locally, the department provides services to seventeen counties of Northeastern Minnesota, including the counties in Region 7E: Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, and Pine.

 

“Last year, our parent organization, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, officially changed its name to Child Care Aware® of America as part of a national effort to create a strong, recognizable, national brand associated with child care expertise,” says Wendy Walburg, Child Care Aware District Director. “Our branch has followed suit with the name change, and so far, we love it. The new name accurately reflects our leadership position in the child care profession, and it further aligns our organization’s commitment and expertise in offering quality services to all our constituents – families, providers, and communities.” Walburg explains.

 

With more than half of Minnesota’s children spending some portion of their day in child care and over 13,000 licensed/regulated care facilities operating in the state, child care is a key component of Minnesota’s economic, social, and educational picture. Mounting research suggests the early years represent a time of profound brain growth and development for children. Growing numbers of parents and policymakers understand the need to connect children with well-trained caregivers and high-quality programs to stimulate learning. Child Care Aware® of Minnesota is leading this conversation by helping families find the type of quality child care their children need to grow and supporting the professional growth of child care professionals.

 

“Altogether, Child Care Aware® works hard to enrich communities by fostering the healthy growth of children and the professional growth of child care providers,” Walburg says. “Our partnership with Pine Technical College is mutually-beneficial since many students seeking child care are referred to us for services; plus, we refer providers seeking advanced training to PTC for the early childhood development program,” Walburg adds.

Kruse selected for Chief Human Resources Officer position at PTC

Pine Technical College announces Amy Kruse will assume the post of Chief Human Resources Officer/Director of Human Resources.

 

“We are very pleased to have Amy; she will drive our human resource activities going forward as we continue to grow and expand,” says PTC President Robert Musgrove, Ph.D. “Her experience and background in human resources, combined with her knowledge of our organization and the broader higher education landscape in Minnesota will support our commitment in serving all our varied constituents. We know Amy will be an excellent hallmark for service and responsibility,” Musgrove adds.

 

Kruse will oversee recruitment and hiring, employee onboarding, performance management, affirmative action, benefits management, and shared services initiatives. Kruse transitions into the new role from her current position at PTC as Human Resources Generalist, a position she has held since 2010. Previously, Kruse worked for nearly six years in Human Resources at Advantage Management Corporation in Eagan, Minn. Kruse holds a B.A. in communications from the Univ. of Minnesota and is active in the Society for Human Resource Management. Throughout these roles, Kruse has lived and worked throughout the state, covering a broad spectrum of business- and human resource-related activity at both strategic and operational levels.

 

“I am excited and proud to have been selected for this leadership position,” Kruse says. Having been at PTC for a few years, I am impressed with the way we operate, and I’m delighted to help further recruit and advance the workforce at PTC. After all, it’s the people within PTC who are at the very core of our college’s success, and everyone employed at the college — all our faculty and staff — touches the lives of students who will be the next leaders of our generation,” Kruse adds.

Scholarship funds available for low-income workers

The Minnesota Job Skills Partnership (MJSP) grant for low-income workers, administered by the Employment and Training Center (ETC) at Pine Technical College, still has significant funding available to support about 50 students choosing to pursue training in either the healthcare or manufacturing industry. With $99,348 originally awarded in August, 2012, the program’s goals include the provision of training and job placement services for 64 low-income individuals in the healthcare and manufacturing industries.

“We are proud that at the start of the Spring, 2013 semester, the program has been successful so far in the fact that we’ve served about 15 students,” says Tony Gantenbein, Executive Director of the Employment and Training Center. “Today, it’s more important than ever to support our regional economy in workforce development, and the training this program provides leads directly to jobs that offer livable wages with opportunities for advancement,” Gantenbein adds.

The MJSP grant program runs through February, 2014, and eligible applicants may still apply. Courses supported through the program include a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) course, which is designed to prepare students for entry-level positions as a nursing assistant in a long-term care facilities or hospitals, and an Introduction to Manufacturing and Welding course, which is designed to provide knowledge of welding principles and safety considerations in a manufacturing environment with a focus on developing the basics of wire feed, tungsten inert gas (TIG), gas metal arc (MIG), and shielded welding metal arc (Stick) welding (SMAW). Credentials gained from both courses are approved by industry associations and the state.

“Entry-level CNAs earn as much as $15 per hour, and entry-level welding and manufacturing workers earn as much as $18 per hour, and both courses and training options lead to jobs that really make a difference,” Gantenbein says. “We are very proud of not only our history of making training accessible for workers in our region, but also for providing trained workers that meet the needs of area employers as well,” Gantenbein adds.

The grant is made available through the MJSP, a state program that works strategically with businesses and educational institutions to train or retrain workers, expand work opportunities, and keep high-quality jobs in the state. The MJSP’s training grants are used to offset training-related expenses incurred by business, industry and educational institutions necessary to meet current and future workforce needs.

PTC grows in enrollment, programs, courses, and facilities

At the tenth day of the Spring, 2013 semester, after the flurry of activity brought by “Add/Drop Week” and accommodating late applicants, Pine Technical College marks another round of remarkable growth. Compared to last Spring’s start, enrollment has increased by 8.2 percent, and late registration for many of the college’s remote students has not yet taken place. PTC administrators predict this will further increase the college’s numbers by about 40 students.

“The data tell an important story,” says PTC President Robert Musgrove, Ph.D. “We know two-year colleges typically see more students enrolling during economic downturns, but PTC has seen remarkable growth over the last several years, from year-to-year, and from semester-to-semester. We are experiencing a strong, steady, and sustained upward trend in applicants and students,” Musgrove explains.

PTC administrators are not the only ones taking notice; Community College Week recently named PTC as one of the nation’s fastest-growing, two-year, small public colleges, ranked at number 39 by percent change in headcount. The growth is attributed to a number of things, including the college’s new medical assistant program, its new business technology program, and more courses offered in alternative formats and schedules, including more general education courses and courses transferable to upper-division colleges and universities.

In preparation for the Fall ’12/Spring ’13 academic year’s anticipated jump in enrollment, the college had built new classroom space, as well as repurposed and enhanced existing facilities over much of the last summer term. With a new medical assisting classroom and lab, an added classroom building located to the main building’s east, new office space for the college’s Child Care Aware staff, as well as two new storage buildings on the south side of the campus, the campus now boasts seven buildings and a total of 102,654 square feet.

“The additions and improvements go hand-in-hand with our overall goal of enhancing the educational experience of our students,” says Musgrove. “It’s part of our mission in providing superior and relevant education, and to that end, it’s important to provide the right kind of learning environment supported with updated technologies to facilitate student learning,” Musgrove adds.

PTC offers updated Human Services Eligibility Worker program

Pine Technical College’s Human Services Eligibility Worker diploma and associate degree programs have been updated with a new curriculum that reflects the training and education required for serving in the current public assistance service sector. The programs, previously offered as the Public Welfare Financial Worker diploma and associate degree, prepare students and graduates for positions working in state or county agencies.

“With the updated curriculum and subsequent renaming of the program, we are more prepared than ever to train and develop our students for this valuable human service work,” says Rita Watson, Human Services Eligibility Worker Instructor. “Our previous, long-running Public Welfare Financial Worker program met industry standards and was excellent, but with any training or program, we must continually self-assess and review to ensure we’re staying current, relevant, and up-to-date with ever-evolving technology, in addition to remaining on top of what employers expect,” Watson explains.

Students of the program look forward to a favorable job outlook, as county human service agencies in all of Minnesota’s 87 counties employ eligibility workers; more than two thousand men and women are currently employed as eligibility workers across the state. Historically, between 150 and 200 eligibility workers are hired statewide each year, and while some newly hired eligibility workers are promoted from clerical jobs within a human service agency, most new hires come from outside the agency, and many prefer to hire trained graduates. Additionally, students may take courses via their computers, joining class lectures “live,” and asking questions as they arise as if physically present. This delivery method allows students living in more distant locations access to the program.

“The HSEW program is for individuals who enjoy working with people and computers, plus have an interest in helping people in times of financial need,” Watson says. “Students will learn to use computer systems used by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, plus develop an understanding of the complex rules and policies governing public assistance. And, they will discover and explore issues surrounding diversity as well as advance in their communication skills,” Watson adds.

Once on the job, human services eligibility workers’ duties may include evaluating and recording financial and household data obtained from individuals; initiating procedures to grant, modify, deny, or terminate benefits for various aid programs; and, communicating the decision and policy that supports it to clients.

PHOTO at top: Rita Watson, Human Services Eligibility Worker Instructor

PTC and Health Professions Consortium members nominated for national initiative

Pine Technical College and its nine partners within the Health Professions Consortium, a partnership that came about in late 2011 when the collective won a $19.6 million federal workforce training grant targeting the health professions, have been invited to participate in a national initiative organizers say will “bring the very best talent and latest research together to support and scale real and lasting change in community college education.”

The Health Professions Consortium has been selected to join only seven other recipients of a national grant – the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College Career Training (TAACCT) grant – to participate in a groundbreaking partnership sponsored by several funding organizations including the Bill and Melinda Gates, Lumina, and Joyce Foundations as well as Achieving the Dream, The Collaboratory, LLC, and the Office of Community College Research and Leadership at the Univ. of Illinois. The purpose of the event, called the Community College Transformative Change Initiative (CCTCI), is to engage TAACCCT consortia leaders in conceptualizing, implementing, and scaling a model of transformative change so community and technical colleges continue to anticipate, adapt, and innovate to meet workforce needs. Organizers say the CCTCI, taking place Feb. 2, 3, and 4 in Anaheim, Calif., will be an “…experientially rich learning laboratory…” with a collaborative network of coaches, peers, affinity groups, and subject matter experts that will enable participants to develop comprehensive, innovative strategic plans for the state’s community college and workforce development systems.

Additionally, each of the selected eight grantees has been asked to identify “transformative leaders” to lead the dialogue on transforming higher education among all participants at the CCTCI. PTC’s Dean of Workforce and Economic Development, Stefanie Schroeder, has been selected to represent PTC and the Health Professions Consortium at the CCTCI as a transformative leader.

“I am very excited for this worthwhile project, and it is an honor for our consortium to have been selected to participate in the CCTCI,” Schroeder says. “To share tools, resources, strategy, and methods with a national network of such innovative community and technical college leaders, strategic partners, and experts from workforce, education and research sectors is a tremendous opportunity. We will all learn a great deal from one another to carry forward in our work toward making a significant, positive impact on the education and workforce systems within this country,” Schroeder adds.