The role of the Community College system
In January of this year, I was attending a workforce cluster forum at Sierra College in Rocklin, CA. At the time I was relatively new to Sacramento Valley SME, the organization that led to my attendance at that forum. At some point during the day, I had the opportunity to chat with Carol Pepper-Kittredge and exchange business cards. Carol is the director of the Center for Applied Competitive Technologies at Sierra College. Up to that day, I had heard numerous comments about the importance of the role that Sierra College and other community colleges play in addressing the middle-skill jobs in manufacturing. Middle skill jobs are highly technical jobs that do not require a bachelor’s degree to perform. Carol’s name was almost always mentioned related to the community college system’s role in preparing candidates for these jobs. Carol was in my eyes an extremely credible individual in the education world and beyond. I was personally excited about her program as a maker and someone who loves to tinker with technology.
Sierra College and SME
My path would continue to cross with Carol through the SME group. In addition to everything else Carol has on her plate, she has been very involved in nearly all of the SME events and planning sessions. She brings calm, informed, and wise leadership to every discussion. So when a fellow SME member volunteered her name as a difference-maker in the manufacturing industry, I immediately agreed. I started a conversation with Carol about being our guest for episode 3 of the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast. Carol also promptly figured out a way to involve two students in the podcast, how could I say no?
Unpacking and setting up a conference table for four at Sierra College
Sierra College and Hacker Lab, a powerful combination
Next week you will find out more about the important role that Sierra College and Hacker Lab play in preparing students for roles in manufacturing. You will see how the technical skills are top-notch and students from their programs are finding quality jobs. We’ll also shed some light on additional and crucial skills such as leadership development are fostered through these programs. Listen and hear how people of all ages are getting job skills, learning, and networking while having a great time doing it.
This episode is now live!