Second class for students to begin May 14 but competition for seats is stiff

The RESA internship program will hold an informational preview day at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 7, at the Yavapai College CTEC Campus, 220 Ruger Road.  Attendees will be asked to take a preliminary questionnaire to determine their current skill level in math and writing while providing other pertinent information. This is a prelude to selecting students to enroll in the College’s specialized 15-week intensive training/internship program in custom 3D printing. That class is scheduled to begin May 14.

Yavapai College and the City of Prescott have partnered with the Prescott technology company, RESA Wear, to offer the 15-week intensive training/internship program for the company in custom 3D printing. Students who are selected can intern while they are in the 15-week course and are paid $14 an hour to start.  Upon successful completion of the course, interns may be hired by RESA as a production technician and earn up to $25 an hour, or more.

The College says that applicants must be able to lift 40 to 50 pounds, have a clean driving record and be willing to travel. The cost of tuition may be covered for student trainees who qualify for a Northern Arizona Council of Governments grant.

According to the College press release, “our first course is going extremely well with more than 25 students currently enrolled,” said Yavapai College instructor, Rick Peters.  “Students come to us from many different backgrounds–from retired aircraft mechanic to a first-time student, so we’re seeing great potential from every demographic. We’re excited to continue offering this unique opportunity to train for a well-paying career to prospects throughout Arizona.”

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$5.2 million spent on improvements at CTEC (probably more) in 2015 were just the beginning

Per the draft budget rolled out at the March 2018 Governing Board meeting, Yavapai College administrators will spend $1,339,510 on the Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC) in overall improvements in 2018 – 19. Those improvements include $534,000 to install a new food-service facility at the Center. The administrators intend to spend $130,510 on new equipment and $675,000 to improve drainage and complete another new parking lot.

You may recall that that in September 2015 the College stated it had completed renovating and improving the Career and Technical Education Center by spending $5.2 million. At the time it boasted it was $150,000 below budget.

Since the 2015 announcement, there have been a plethora of additional high-cost capital items approved that are associated with CTEC. For example, in July 2016 the College announced it had completed replacing parking lots and upgrading rest rooms at CTEC.  It indicated it was in phase 2 of demolishing the front parking lot at CTEC. It added administrative space for the Joint Mountain Institute Joint Technical Education District offices at CTEC in 2016.

The actual costs for many of these projects and others for CTEC have been hidden from public view in the Preventative & Unplanned budget.  Until this year, that budget did not indicate what campus the millions of dollars contained in it were going.

Prescott, Resa Corporation, NACOG  join with Yavapai College in unique training effort; Faculty create 19 credit 14 week curriculum in two weeks; Tuition fully paid; 14 week internships pay $14 an hour; $25 per hour job awaits students on completion

Vice President Ron Liss and Prescott City Manger Michael Lamar explained to the College Governing Board at its January 16 meeting about how the City of Prescott, NACOG, the Community College and the Resa Corporation joined hands to create a series of courses and internships in less than a month that will be used to train potential Resa employees beginning January 29.

Resa is a small company located in Prescott. It has been around for about twenty years and is known for providing orthopedic insoles.  Insoles prescribed by a podiatrist may cost from $400 to $500 a pair.  However, Resa has developed and patented a process where the entire procedure for making insoles takes place at a kiosk. The machinery in the kiosk scans and captures every detail of a person’s feet in three dimensions. The insoles are designed specifically for one individual based on activity level, medical need and foot structure. Once the scanning takes place at a kiosk located in a store such as Costco, the custom insoles are then 3D-printed with a high-quality thermoplastic in about an hour. They are then ready to be picked up by the customer.

Resa has obtained a number of agreements to locate kiosks in several high volume, high profile stores.  But the kiosks, which will be located in stores around the nation, must be maintained by well-trained technicians. Resa needed at least 25 almost immediately. Resa  anticipates training a future workforce in Prescott of from 150 to 300 technicians in an 18 month time frame.

The City of Prescott needed a quick response when Resa contacted it indicating a need for the trained workforce. The City believed that if it couldn’t produce the labor force for the Company, it would relocate. The City, which was contacted in December, asked for help from the College and at some point the Northern Arizona Council of Governments (NACOG).

The College responded by creating a 19 credit hour program to be completed in 14 weeks specifically for the Resa technicians. Yavapai Community College CTEC faculty spent the two week holiday designing the curriculum.

Tuition is paid by NACOG. If NACOG does not fully cover the tuition, the Company has agreed to do so.  In addition, the technician Internships that accompany the training program pay $14 an hour for from 16 to 20 hours a week.  Students spend the first three days of the week in training and the second two days as paid interns.  A $25 an hour job awaits at the Company for students who successfully complete the 14 week training program. Classes begin January 29.

The College will be leasing space at CTEC to the Company where students will be trained.  About 75 persons applied for the 30 student training slots  on January 14 at CTEC.   

The first video below contains the explanation of the project by the Prescott City Manager.  The second video below contains additional information about the College’s role in the project.

But East County Efforts Cannot Compare with West County CTE Development

Yavapai Community College upped its involvement in Career and Technical Education in the Verde Valley on the east side of the County in 2016-17. However,  its efforts pale in comparison to its overall efforts on the west side of the County.  On the east side of the County the Sedona Center was renovated and the Sedona Culinary Institute launched.

The College also increased its allied health programing on the east side of the County by launching a medical assistant program on the Verde Valley Campus in concert with the Valley Academy for Career and Technical Education (V’ACTE). It provides morning classes for students pursuing this credential.

It is also  began offering welding classes leading to AWS certification at Mingus high school. The classes are held at night at the Mingus welding laboratory. Students  include both Yavapai College  and V’ACTE high school students.

Meanwhile, on the west side of the County, the $20 million dollar state-of-the-art Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC) at the Prescott airport was remodeled to accommodate offices for the Mountain Institute Joint Technical Education District. The most recent estimated $7 million dollar renovation and parking lot improvements appear to have been mostly completed. The College also completed the $4 million plus renovation/new construction at the Prescott Valley Center. This will provide for growth of the College’s Allied Health Educational Programs. This facility will also accommodate the allied health training of the  Mountain Institute Joint Technical Education District students.

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