CWI Compass Connect - February 24, 2015
In the Spotlight
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is excited to partner with the Idaho Stampede, Saturday (Feb. 28), for the second annual CWI Night at the Stampede. The professional basketball team is hosting the promotion to help fundraise for CWI student scholarships. Support the cause by purchasing discounted $10 tickets, of which the Stampede will donate 100 percent of the ticket price back to the CWI Foundation for student scholarships. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at CenturyLink Arena. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, view the CWI Night at the Stampede flyer.
News Highlights
New CWI Welding Course Providing Employment Opportunities
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Workforce Development division is celebrating the first graduates from a new workplace welding course that was created in collaboration with Multiquip Inc. Since completion of the eight-week course on Jan. 29, the partnership has shown great promise as two Multiquip employees that completed the course have already achieved promotions.
Multiquip, a global manufacturer and supplier of industrial products and solutions approached CWI last year to fill a skills gap in their workforce. The company expressed a need to train their current employees for advancement opportunities while also creating a bridge for recruiting new skilled workers. The collaboration resulted in the creation of a targeted welding course to address the specific industry skills needed. In total six Multiquip employees enrolled in the inaugural course, along with two students sponsored by the Idaho Department of Labor and three employees from other local companies.
“CWI’s Workforce Development program was formed to support the continued training needs for evolving industries throughout western Idaho,” notes Christine Rood, Executive Director for CWI Workforce Development. “The collaboration with Multiquip ensured our course was directly filling the welding skills gap and provided opportunities for our students to gain marketable job skills.”
The class focused solely on Metal Inert Gas (MIG), or Gas Metal Arc Welding, technique. Curriculum covered blueprints, welding symbology, machine safety, and set-up. The primary goal is to train students to weld in a fast-paced production environment.
“This is a great example of how business, education, and Labor can work together to create a talent pipeline of welders,” said Idaho Department of Labor Director Ken Edmunds. “The workforce needs of industry get filled and Idahoans gain new skills and higher wages.”
Phil D’Amato, Multiquip’s Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Compliance Officer, further commented, “This serves as a perfect example of how a private employer, an educational institution, and a state agency worked together. The hiring of qualified welders has been a challenge at Multiquip, and we were going to ‘grow our own’ with an in-house welder certification program. Through this unique collaborative effort, we were able to formalize the program and create a model for future classes thereby increasing the labor pool of qualified welders. This is truly a win-win-win opportunity”.
CWI will continue offering the course in its regular rotation of non-credit welding classes. The next class starts Feb. 23 and will run through April 15. For more information on CWI’s Workforce Development programs visit cwi.edu/wd.
Fast-Track Healthcare Training Event Coming to CWI
On Feb 24, College of Western Idaho (CWI) Workforce Development (WD) will invite the community to campus to explore the healthcare career opportunities that are available through WD’s fast-track training programs and classes. Instructors and students will be on-hand to talk with attendees and help answer questions about the programs and careers. The event will take place:
Tuesday, Feb. 24
6-8 p.m.
Ada County Campus Quail Court, Room 2210
1450 S. Eagle Flight Way, Boise – View Map
Programs and classes through WD Healthcare and Emergency Medical Services can be completed in as little as eight hours, and up to eleven months. Classes are taught throughout southwestern Idaho, from Donnelly to Fruitland and Boise to Caldwell. For even more flexibility, some classes are offered online and via distance learning.
CWI WD offers a variety of fast-track healthcare programs and classes:
- Medical Assistant
- Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
- Medical Coding and Billing
- Pharmacy Technician
- Phlebotomy
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
- Paramedic
- CPR
For more information about the event or questions, call 208.562.2700.
Ceramic Artist Featured in CWI’s Visiting Artist Series
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is excited to welcome ceramic artist Alison Reintjes to campus, March 12-14, as the next guest in its Visiting Artist Series. On Thursday, March 12, Reintjes will give a public lecture beginning at 6 p.m. with a reception planned immediately following her presentation. She will also lead a hands-on workshop Friday and Saturday (March 13-14). Materials will be provided and the workshop is free to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. All events will be held in room 206 of CWI’s Nampa Campus Academic Building.
Reintjes lives in Missoula, Mont. Her work includes functional objects, wall based sculpture, and design concepts. She first moved to Montana in 2001 for a residency at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts. Reintjes studied at Kent State University, the Canberra School of Art in Australia, and Northern Michigan University. She has completed numerous residencies, taught widely, and exhibited both nationally and internationally.
For more information please contact Goran Fazil at goranfazil@cwi.edu or Brenda Fisher at brendafisher@cwi.edu.
CWI Foundation Online Scholarship Application Now Open
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Foundation is happy to announce the online application for scholarships opened Feb. 1, 2015. The CWI Foundation has both general and program-specific scholarship opportunities available for students for the 2015-16 academic year. Interested students need to apply by the March 31 priority deadline to be considered for scholarships in the initial awarding session. Visit the CWI scholarship web pages at cwi.edu/current-students/scholarship-opportunities for more information.
CWI Honors Ulrich with February Staff Award
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is pleased to announce CWI’s February Staff of the Month honor has been awarded to Roxanne Ulrich.
Ulrich joined CWI in 2011 and is currently an Administrative Assistant II for the Trades and Technology Programs in Professional Technical Education (PTE).
“Serving all in an Atmosphere of Caring” is a Core Value that Ulrich applies every day in her work with fellow employees and with students. One of her colleagues remarks, “she goes above and beyond on a daily basis. She does not limit herself to only helping people within her own programs, but is there for anyone who may need help. This includes staff and faculty within other PTE programs, outside vendors, and even students. She is not a complainer and always has a smile on her face”.
Ulrich has an associate degree from College of Southern Idaho. She worked in offices at Idaho State University and Utah State University before staying home for several years to raise her kids.
She has been married to her husband Mike for 28 years and is a very proud mom of two children. She is a very excited Grandma to-be, with her first grandchild expected in August. Ulrich says she enjoys spending time with family and friends doing things like camping, fishing, playing games, barbeques in the back yard, watching movies, playing with her puppy, and trying to fit some travel in to her busy life.
Please join in congratulating Roxanne. Thank you for your commitment and continued dedication to CWI and its faculty, staff, and students.
