Bert's Alerts - September 26, 2014
In the Spotlight
College of Western Idaho (CWI) was full of school spirit on Friday, Sept. 26, as employees celebrated College Spirit Day sponsored by the CWI Fun & Culture Committee. Seen here are (left to right) Mike Anderson, Robin Debuhr, Kathy Ohnsman, Gena McLamore, Anitra Townsend, and Brian Smith. Participants are encouraged to share photos of their College Spirit Day attire by emailing fcc@cwi.edu.
News Highlights
Apprentice Enrollment Highest Since 2010 at CWI
This semester the College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) enrollment in apprenticeship programs is the highest in five years with total enrollment reaching 452 students. The College reports enrollment for the current year also marks a 96.5 percent increase in CWI’s apprentice enrollment compared to 2012.
CWI offers apprentice programs in Electrical, Plumbing, and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) through its Workforce Development division. CWI’s current enrollment, which reflects numbers for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 (July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015), have reached the highest levels since FY2009 for all three programs.
“We are very encouraged to see the continued growth in demand for our apprentice training,” says CWI Workforce Development Executive Director, Christi Rood. “Obviously this increase reflects improvement in the economy and labor force. It also is a tremendous indicator of our ability to strengthen our industry partnerships to ensure CWI is providing the best continuing education opportunities in the Treasure Valley.”
CWI’s Electrical program currently boasts the highest apprentice enrollment with 202 students. The program served 256 students in FY2009 before dropping to 164 students in FY2010. The lowest five-year total for the program was 116 students in FY2012.
The Plumbing and HVAC programs have experienced nearly identical demand with 126 Plumbing and 124 HVAC students enrolled this fall. In FY2009, Plumbing served 211 students while HVAC had 136 students. The programs also experienced their lowest enrollment in 2012 with 43 and 71 students, respectively.
All apprentice students must be currently employed in their industry and working toward journey status. The programs are four years in duration and students have the opportunity to take classes on campus and online.
BroncoConnect@CWI Launched
College of Western Idaho (CWI) and Boise State University are pleased to announce further expansion of the two institutions’ partnership with the launch of BroncoConnect@CWI. This new program is intended to provide CWI students a smooth and efficient transfer process to Boise State upon completion of an Associate of Arts (A.A.), Associate of Science (A.S.), or Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree.
CWI students will enjoy several key benefits by participating in BroncoConnect@CWI:
- Guaranteed admission to Boise State, upon successful completion of a CWI A.A., A.S., or A.A.S (limited and selective access programs may require additional admissions requirements/processes).
- Seamless transfer—all CWI academic credits will transfer to Boise State.
- Priority registration for their first semester at Boise State.
- Coordinated CWI and Boise State academic advising.
- Access to a dedicated Boise State Transfer Enrollment Counselor, on CWI’s campus, to facilitate the application process.
- Dedicated New Student Orientation for BroncoConnect@CWI students.
CWI employees are encouraged to direct students interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Boise State to visit a CWI One Stop Student Services location or the Boise State Center at CWI to explore BroncoConnect@CWI.
CWI Welcomes New Business and Manufacturing Programs Director
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Workforce Development division has hired a new Director of Business and Manufacturing Programs. Marc Swinney has been selected to lead the College’s short-term training and apprenticeship programs that range from electronics and welding to business communication and accounting software. Marc’s responsibilities include creating and implementing training certificate programs that build student’s knowledge and skills to meet business and manufacturing industry workforce needs.
“I couldn’t be happier to welcome Marc to our team,” says CWI Workforce Development Executive Director, Christi Rood. “For 20 years he has shown excellent ability both in leadership and educational training. His diverse skill set and experience make him a tremendous asset to the College.”
Swinney, who resides in Eagle, boasts a background in military and industry training, educational management, and marketing and public relations. Most recently he managed and marketed eyecare professional training programs for Essilor USA, the worldwide leader in eyeglass lens manufacturing. Swinney’s professional career began in the United States Air Force, where he spent 12 years in various leadership roles culminating as a Director of Training for an intelligence ground station in Northern California. He was responsible for ensuring personnel were trained to work time-critical real-time collection and reporting missions. Swinney continues to serve part-time with the Idaho Air National Guard at Gowen Field in A-10 intelligence operations.
Following his active duty military service, Swinney was the Executive Director for Friends of Children and Families in Boise who deliver Head Start programs for Ada and Elmore counties. His experience also includes working for an online and print advertising company, Idearc Media, Inc. as their corporate web site manager, and an automotive industry consumer protection and marketing strategy provider, EFG Companies, serving as the digital marketing and product planning manager.
Swinney attended the U.S. Air Force Academy where he received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. He also holds a master’s degree in Adult and Higher Education from the University of Oklahoma. Swinney would like to eventually resume working toward a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Idaho.
Swinney is married to Dusti Swinney, a human resources professional. The couple has two kids; Connor (11) and Zach (9). Swinney says he and his family spend their free time playing and coaching Lacrosse and chasing after a pair of one-year old Golden Retrievers, Kyra and Koufax. The family also enjoys at least one backpack trip each year in Idaho’s mountains and attempting to keep things growing in their yard.
Rake Up Nampa Volunteers Needed
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Fun and Culture Committee (FCC) would like to invite employees to join them this fall to support the 2014 Rake Up Nampa event. The event is scheduled to be held on Saturday, Nov. 15. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Lindsay Reynolds at lindsayreynolds@cwi.edu by Oct. 10.
