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REDMOND TECHNOLOGY CENTER:
Aviation and Aerospace Programming
Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence and Development (CEED)
Graphic Design Programming
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Executive Summary
COCC Technology Education Center—Redmond Executive Summary of Program Recommendations
January 2011
COCC Technology Education Center
The College will design and construct a 30,400-square-foot Technology Education Center on the Redmond Campus in 2011-12. COCC envisions that this Technology Education Center will be a key element in recruiting and expanding businesses in Central Oregon. Our work with industry partners, local elected officials, and Economic Development for Central Oregon, has guided the program recommendations and conclusions contained in this planning document.
Project Goal
The goal for the project is to make technology focused education and training relevant and accessible to constituents in the COCC service area. This facility will aid residents preparing to enter the workforce, as well as those already in the workforce, in acquiring 21st century skills for
family wage jobs.
We will accomplish this goal while observing the following criteria:
• Build a facility with flexible space to provide opportunities for innovation in collaboration with local industry.
• Incorporate adequate space for future technology needs.
• Address health and safety issues by providing secure rooms/storage areas, and ventilated areas as needed.
• Enable student group study, on line access, tutoring, and interaction with faculty members and industry experts at the point of need.
• Enable apprenticeships, cooperative work experience and internships, as appropriate for particular industries.
• Provide a meeting/assembly room. Technology Education Center Task Force
The Technology Education Center Task Force comprised of industry representatives in the areas of Graphic Arts; Manufacturing/Engineering; Aviation/Aerospace, Biotechnology and
Sustainability as well as economic development partners met three times during the summer. The group of twenty-two reviewed College plans for program development, confirming
appropriate program direction and recommending new program opportunities that meet local industry needs for a trained and available workforce. New programs must be operationally cost
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effective and have a significant lifespan to train students for family wage jobs now and into the future.
Outcomes
We learned from the task force that COCC is on the right track with program planning but that it is equally important to look at HOW we provide information and training in the subject areas of Graphic Arts/Communication, Manufacturing, Aviation and Sustainability, not just what we teach. Internships and engaging businesses inside the classroom is desirable to assure we are
developing a qualified workforce in each industry area.
When the group responded to questions about training skills lacking in the region and needed in their industry, we found significant overlap in skills needed by the industries represented. The skills desired by more than one industry included: CADD/CAM, Solid Works, NDT/NDI, machine maintenance, quality assurance, computer skills, customer service, project management,
presentation skills, entrepreneurial skills, communication skills, teamwork, problem solving, math skills and assessment.
The COCC instructional team continued to explore each of these areas in more detail including data that speaks to job placement and wage progression after graduation. Start-up costs and enrollment projections for each program were also projected and considered. Plans are
underway to visit existing Technology Centers to garner additional information about equipment and facility design to meet diverse industry and economic development needs.
The following recommendations are detailed in the report that follows:
• Non-Destructive Testing and Inspection—Recommended AAS degree program (p. 3)
• COCC Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence and Development (CEED)— Recommended certificate and/or degree program (p. 7)
• Graphic Design—Expand offerings, no degree program recommended at this time (p. 10)
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Aviation and Aerospace Programming Recommendations Introduction
Aviation Maintenance was one of the programs submitted to the state under
consideration for the Technology Education Center. COCC has been providing Aviation flight courses the past five years. Graduates of this program receive certificates/ and ratings for fixed wing and/or helicopter. The Aviation Advisory Committee has consistently asked COCC to provide an Aviation Maintenance Technician degree to meet the regional demands. With this degree students would be certified to take the FAA Airframe and Power plant (A & P) exams. Lane Community College and Portland Community College currently offer this degree.
Representatives from the Aviation/Aerospace community were part of the Technology Education Center Planning Task Force. Recommendations from this group identified the following needs for the Aviation/Aerospace community:
• CADD/CAM, specifically Solidworks: Will be implemented in the CADD curriculum by Fall 2011.
• Maintenance—IA Inspector, Quality, and Unmanned Aircraft: Skills related to A&P Mechanics.
• NDT/NDI (Non-Destructive Testing and Non-Destructive Inspection)
• ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations): An export regulation that many exporting companies deal with and could be included in the business curriculum. • Robotics
• FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis): An engineering practice related to reliability engineering.
• Aging aircraft –training, x-ray: This is NDI/NDT for existing aircraft. • Government Export Regulations (Same as ITAR issue above)
• Customer Service
• Maintenance Aircraft (heavy equipment): Skills related to A&P Mechanics.
To receive program approval from the Department of Community College and Workforce Development (CCWD) we would need to provide evidence that there is a demand for graduates of the program. Lane Community College and Portland Community College would need to approve our Notice of Intent to indicate the employment outlook would warrant offering three programs in the state.
The Occupational Report from the Occupational Information Center (OLMIS) projects an increase for 36 Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians in the state from 2008-2018. Eleven openings are projected for Crook/Deschutes/Jefferson from 2008-2018. With these statistics, it would be difficult to receive State approval to provide this program.
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COCC is currently in discussions with Lane Community College and Portland Community College to partner and offer some Aviation Maintenance classes in Central Oregon and then have students transfer to their college to complete the degree.
A Greater Opportunity
NDT was also listed as a high priority for the Aviation/Aerospace industry. Providing NDT educational opportunities in Central Oregon would benefit our region as well as the state of Oregon. COCC’s recommendation is to further pursue this direction. This program will provide students with entry-level employment skills that meet the high standards and expectations set by industry
As one example of this, COCC representatives met with PCC Structurals, a Redmond based company with 200 employees. The company worldwide has 26,000 employees. The Redmond location produces complex titanium investment castings specializing in Fracture Critical primary airframe structural, aero engine, missile, and commercial components. They recruit their NDT employees from a private college in Tulsa Oklahoma, Spartan College of Aeronautics. PCC Structurals would be supportive of working with COCC to provide this education locally. There would be opportunities for their senior employees to teach some of our specialized classes, practical work experience for our students, and possibly some donated equipment.
Career Potential
The field of NDT plays a critical role in assuring that structural components and systems are reliable and cost effective. NDT personnel can be found in a broad range of fields such as: Aircraft and Aerospace, Power Generation, Chemical and Petro Chemical, Independent Testing Labs, Electronics, Bridge and Building Fabrication, Defense and Military, General Manufacturing, and NASCAR. NDT technology is similar to those used in the medical industry, but nonliving objects are the subjects of the inspection. NDT is non-invasive technology to inspect and measure without doing harm. NDT is used extensively in commercial and military systems as they
continue to become more sophisticated and are pushed to their limits. NDT is important to prevent accidents, product liability lawsuits, and inspect aging infrastructure.
NDT personnel are generally certified to three levels of competence—Levels I, II, and III. Level I technicians are only qualified to perform specific calibrations and tests and work under close supervision. Level II technicians are able to set up and calibrate equipment, conduct the inspection according to procedures, interpret, evaluate, and document results. Level III technicians have the skills to establish techniques and procedures; interpret codes, standards, and specifications; and design the nondestructive testing methods, techniques, and procedures to be used. COCC would provide the education and collaborate with our regional partners to provide the practical experience to prepare students to sit for the certification exams for Levels I and II.
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NDT in the Oregon Occupational Outlook statistics is combined with Engineering Technicians. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain specific information for the trend of this field. According to the NDT Resource Center website funded by the National Science Foundation, (http://www.ndt-ed.org/ ) a student who have earned an AAS Degree is receiving as many as 18 job offers upon graduation. According to this website, starting salaries range from $25,000-$45,000 a year depending on job location.
Student Enrollment
Class sizes still need to be determined. NDT technicians need to have a mid-level
understanding of mathematics and science and enjoy working with computers and electronics. This program could be attractive to our VA and non-traditional students who have an interest in specialized manufacturing.
Faculty
COCC would need to hire a Program Director who could also teach some of the curriculum. With our community resources, part-time faculty could be available. Costs to Operate
Preliminary start-up costs would require COCC obtain the following equipment: Magnetic particle inspection booth with UV light systems, X-Ray inspection machines, Ultrasonic inspection equipment, Eddy current testers, and Microscope/boroscope video inspection systems. There might be an opportunity to obtain used equipment in good condition. If new equipment is required, COCC would be looking at approximately $120,000 to purchase the equipment.
Lab space for the program would require approximately 1,000 sq. feet in a close room with very good ventilation. Some dye penetrants and other chemicals used in NDT can be hazardous without proper ventilation and storage.
COCC would need to hire a Program Director with proper credentials to run the program. In addition, there will probably be a need to hire part-time instructors. In addition to staffing, ongoing costs would include equipment maintenance and materials and supplies.
Program Flexibility
NDT training would cross over with manufacturing. This would be a CTE program not designed for ease in transferring to a 4-year institution. Community conversations resulted in an interest to have COCC consider using our facility as an Independent Testing Lab for small
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Grant Possibilities
This would need further research. Summary
Providing a NDT AAS Degree program would benefit Central Oregon as well as the Northwest. The start-up costs are reasonable and there are resources for curriculum development. Due to the specialized equipment required for the program, there are only a handful of schools providing this program at an Associate of Applied Science level or higher. NDT personnel are in demand around the world as more companies are required to be quality
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Entrepreneurial Studies Recommendation
COCC Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence and Development (CEED): Leveraging commodity and service experts to build business in Central Oregon Introduction and Need
Central Oregon’s economy is largely dependent upon small and diverse companies. There are approximately 107, 802 employer firms in Oregon and 98% of these can be considered small businesses, each employing between one and 100 workers (Oregon Employment Department, March 2009). The great majority of businesses in Jefferson, Crook, and Deschutes Counties fall well within the definition of “small.” Approximately 63% of the firms in each county employ between 1 and 4 employees, and approximately 18% in each county employ between 5 and 9 employees; small businesses thus account for approximately 83% of employers in Central Oregon. Less than 1% of the firms countywide employ more than 100 employees (Applied Geographic Solutions, 2009).
An Entrepreneurial program will build upon this strength and also assist current businesses with expansion efforts. The program will leverage a reinvented Manufacturing
Program as well as noncredit expansion of Digital Media courses that will integrate graphic design and web-based marketing. The goal is to create new and successful entrepreneurs in two broad areas: Commodities (products to market/manufacturing) and knowledge services. Program graduates will gain competence at starting, expanding, and retaining good businesses. Job growth will be a direct result, and potential expansion of commodities industries and digital media services will also benefit Central Oregon.
Current discussions of a COCC Entrepreneurial Studies program envision a relatively unique approach. Industry partnership will be key, along with “real world” applied business development projects and practices. Discussions related to the benefits of a competitive admissions process are underway, ideally targeting students who are serious about a business start-up or expansion. A cohort model, one that develops strong relationships between students in the program, faculty, and industry partners will be used. Moreover, COCC has a good track record with education to assist business, and currently provides numerous noncredit workshops and credit course offerings related to business success and professional development. The COCC Small Business Development Center also provides intensive one-on-one business advising for start-ups and businesses, in addition to customized training services. These well established sectors of the College will be leveraged in planning and growing a strong Center for
Entrepreneurial Excellence and Development.
An advisory board consisting of local entrepreneurs has not yet been formed. However, economic development planners such as EDCO and the Bend Chamber are clear in expressing the need for supporting entrepreneurs and innovation. We will engage these local partners in
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Growing Entrepreneurs from Diverse Industries
COCC often receives requests from specific businesses that have career prospects for less than ten students, thus sustaining the new program in that specific business highly unlikely. A recent example was a request from a cycling accessory principal. An entrepreneurial studies program that integrates core general areas and includes a capstone project selected and customized by the student, should target a specific product, service, or business (example: a cycling accessory invention that can be brought to market for profit). In other words, this program will be designed to grow independent and innovative graduates in any number of business types, and this emphasis will not only benefit new entrepreneurs, but can provide options for students who choose to seek employment with existing companies.
Career Potential and “Knowledge Spillover”
To receive program approval from the Department of Community College and Workforce Development (CCWD) we will need to provide evidence that graduates are likely to be
successfully self-employed as a result of the program. Programs similar to the one proposed do not exist in the state of Oregon, but program data exists for similar programs in Washington and Massachusetts.
The Occupational Report from the Occupational Information Center (OLMIS) predicts 8.1 % job growth in Management, Business and Financial in Oregon, statewide. It is no surprise, however, that “entrepreneur” is not listed in OLMIS as an occupation, and other then franchise opportunities, job postings do not seek business owners.
The United States Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy
(www.sba.gov/advo/research/business.html) offers many interesting researched based findings related to small business and entrepreneurship. A few conclusions from this growing body of research will be highlighted herein with the intent of informing discussion around the need for an Entrepreneurial Studies program.
First, entrepreneurship creates what some have termed “knowledge spillovers” in local economies by bringing new ideas and products to market—innovations that benefit many businesses in communities (Audretsch and Keilbach ,2005; Shrestha et al., 2007; Camp; 2005).
Second, entrepreneurial regions also exhibit faster employment growth (Acs and
Armington, 2005). Using relatively recent data sources, Headd in An Analysis of Small Business and Jobs (March 2010) sums:
“the employment effect of a cohort of businesses is greater at birth then in any subsequent year. This is a very strong basis for the claim that opening a business has greater consequences for job creation then expanding a business does. The criticism that new businesses close quickly is also weak; about half of new firms
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survive five years or more. . . . almost all fast-growing firms started small, as did most large firms” (p. 8).
One goal of the COCC Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence and Development (CEED) is to prepare citizen-students to be successful entrepreneurs for well beyond the 5 year survival rate. We will accomplish this via a strong program delivered by well qualified and experienced faculty and entrepreneurs in addition to applied project based learning.
Gurley-Calvez, Hammond, and Thompson reviewed longitudinal data in their study “Determinants of Growth in Entrepreneurship across U.S. labor Market Areas, 1970-2006,” May 2010. They compare trends and factors that determine growth in entrepreneurship with labor market areas (LMAs), including regional differences in entrepreneurship across the U.S. Of note for our purpose here, is the following implication for educational programming:
“Our regression results suggest a positive role for education in stimulating the growth in the number of self-employed in a region, particularly for the self-employed age 45-64, and for the self-employed in the health care industry. . . . Overall, the results suggest that there might be a role for policies to expand education opportunities in order to promote entrepreneurial activities, and therefore, economic growth” (p. 5).
Planning program details will be heavily reliant upon what we know about companies that succeed and companies that fail. It will be imperative to structure curriculum that prepares graduates to be realistic about business risks and limitations with the hope that risks are minimized and success maximized.
Industry Contribution and Economic Development Partners
Partnerships are sustained when there is a mutual benefit for each partner. As noted earlier, the COCC Entrepreneurship Program will leverage two programs that will also be housed in the new Redmond Campus—a reinvented Manufacturing Program and expanded Digital Media noncredit offerings that emphasizes marketing. Ideally, industry partners from these areas— manufacturing and digital media/marketing, will assist with internships, mentoring opportunities, and assisting with service learning projects that apply entrepreneurial skill-sets. When CEED graduates become “real life” entrepreneurs who develop and bring commodities or services to market, the need for manufacturing and assistance from digital media/marketing firms will likely increase. When we “grow” entrepreneurs together, we also grow the owners who will need to “buy” manufacturing and marketing services. We will also work to identify successful
philanthropic entrepreneurs who are ready to pass along their knowledge and experience from a wide variety of businesses if only for the purpose of building a healthy and prosperous Central Oregon economy and community. Finally, we hope to harness the expertise found in Central Oregon’s EDCO organization; a very strong organization whose goal is economic development and prosperity for the region.
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Student Enrollment and General Course of Study
The program would be limited to a cohort of 30 students and competitive admissions will be explored. Students will learn how to start and expand a business, in addition to project based learning that brings together students, established
entrepreneurs and faculty; projects that may require the entire academic year to complete. Project examples may include inventing, developing, or marketing a
commodity or service. Fundraising for a specific project that will benefit the community will also be explored (leadership and citizen engagement). This cohort model will be marketed to citizens who may already have college degrees and businesses. Spokane Community College has implemented a similar program—Integrated Business and Entrepreneurship Program—and we will learn more about this program during the planning phase of CEED. The curriculum may include the following: Getting commodities to market and profit (including introduction to manufacturing processes);
Service/knowledge commodities to market and profit; Sustaining a business and strategic expansion. Specific areas of study will likely include research and developing commodity and service ideas, getting a patent, understanding how to bring a product or a service to the market successfully, understanding capital and finance, minimizing financial risk, marketing and predicting needs in the internet age, basic accounting, team work and communication.
Faculty
One full-time faculty member (Business background or equivalent) will be needed to engage in collaborative development of the program (admissions, curriculum,
internship opportunities, community projects) during the 2011-2012 academic year. This job will include engaging a team of faculty experts from several business related
disciplines (examples: Business, Culinary, Outdoor Leadership and Recreation) who will work in partnership with local entrepreneurs (examples: Cycling, Beer Making, Software and Marketing Firms, Manufacturing Firms). This program development phase will require at least 9 Load Units of release time allocated to the Faculty Lead, stipends for active collaborators (college faculty and very involved partners) and a modest material and supply budget. We estimate the cost of development to be $10,000 (assumes part-time LU replacement cost). Upon implementation of the program, we anticipate employing one full-time faculty member who will teach and advise students for
approximately two-thirds of load, and also be afforded 15 Load Units per year to officially direct the program and coordinate additional part-time faculty assigned to teach various elements of the program. These staffing costs will range between $80,000 and $90,000 per year including benefits. Funding for ongoing professional development for faculty will be vital to sustaining a high quality program.
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The program will require at least one large classroom and it may be necessary to
incorporate smaller conference rooms and computing stations. Equipment expenses will be minimal, other then expenses incurred by students resulting from unique business innovations and ideas initiated by that student. We will also seek industry sponsors to assist such students with entrepreneurial projects that require additional support. Program Flexibility
We anticipate that basic courses from other Redmond Tech Center Programs will be “cored” into elements of CEED. These may include basic Manufacturing Principles (what inventions can be brought to market), Basic Marketing, Accounting, and Small Business Planning and “Green” business practices and products. Pooling students into a few core areas helps to decrease the overall cost of the program. It will be important for the faculty program director to keep abreast of how changes in the economy can help or hinder entrepreneurial ventures. We anticipate that the program will be responsive and open to curricular changes and opportunities.
Industry Support and Grant Opportunities
Similar programs have secured support from industry and private foundations with connections to business. The AVISTA power company, for example, has been a strong supporter of the IBE program mentioned earlier (Spokane Community College). We will explore support (financial and other forms of expertise) from private industry in addition to community experts such as EDCO and the Chamber. Moreover, the U.S. Small Business Administration offers grant programs generally designed to expand and enhance
assistance to small businesses. We will explore linkages to these grant programs as well. Summary and Conclusion
The COCC Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence and Development (CEED) will be a valuable addition to the educational programs of Central Oregon. Such a program will benefit the regional economy and will ideally “thicken” and enhance a shared knowledge base among small business entrepreneurs. In time, CEED graduates will improve and increase the diversity of businesses, and thus increase employment opportunities in Central Oregon. Working in collaboration with private industry, CEED will be a vital element of the movement toward an economically healthy, sustainable, and prosperous region.
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Summary
Graphic Design was one of the programs under consideration for the COCC Technology Center to be located on the Redmond campus. COCC currently offers a series of courses through Community Learning in web design and graphic arts. They have an active Advisory Committee and talented and experienced instructors. Many students and community members would like the opportunity to pursue more comprehensive training and an Associate’s degree.
Opportunities also exist to develop articulation agreements with bachelor granting universities or art schools. The current Art Program at COCC offers courses in drawing, painting and digital photography on the Bend campus. A Graphic Design program could build on this solid foundation of courses and offer students additional educational opportunities.
Career Potential
According to the Oregon Labor Market Occupational Information Center, demand for graphic designers should increase because of the expanding market for web based information and expansion of the video entertainment market. The graphic designer employment is forecast to grow 7.8% 2008-2018 with the largest demand in the Portland metro area. In 2010, the average hourly wage was $19.61. In the Central Oregon market (Region 10), the estimated number of jobs was 52 over the ten year period, 12 new growth positions and 40 replacement positions. The minimum education required is an Associate’s degree and a bachelor’s degree is the competitive degree.
Industry Contribution
A number of community members attended the Tech Center planning meetings and are quite interested in working with the college to develop this program. These members are all self-employed and most do contract work. There is a possibility for internship sites, but they may be quite limited.
COCC staff met by conference call with G5 Marketing (a company based in Bend with 100 + onsite employees that works with web designers) to discuss their employee training needs over the next five years. Basically, they are most interested in courses such as Project Management, Business Analyst (assess client interest and move to project development), software/office systems in high tech environment (example, Sharepoint) and quality assurance. Community Learning business and professional programs provide targeted training that would best meet these employer needs.
Student Enrollment
Class size was not determined, but an average number needed to make a program self-sustaining is typically 18-24. If the program determines that an internship is necessary,
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placement opportunities often determine the number of students who can enroll in any given term.
Faculty
COCC would need to hire a Program Director to develop the program and recruit students. This individual would perform some administrative tasks as well as teach program courses. With our community resources, it is likely part time faculty would also be available to round out the program course schedule.
Cost to Operate
As a preliminary estimate, it is likely to cost approximately $70,000 (includes benefits) to hire a full time Program Director to develop the program curriculum. It is not possible to
estimate the ongoing program costs until more specific program development work is complete and the number of potential students finalized. The estimated cost for 20 Apple computers and appropriate graphic design software site license is $52,000. Currently, the college IT department does not support Apple products, so once the lab is open, additional funding will be required to maintain and update the software.
Program Flexibility
This program potentially could enhance the art courses already available in basic design and drawing. While employment is possible with a Associate’s degree, the program would have more benefit if articulation agreements were formed with a Bachelor’s degree granting institution such as the Art Institute of Portland.
Grant Possibilities
This would require further research. At the time of this writing, no obvious sources of external funding have been identified.
Recommendation
While there was interest in this program from the community focus groups, currently no job market exists in Central Oregon for the number of students that will be trained each year. Additionally, several programs already exist in Oregon that teach graphic design and digital media or imaging design (Graphic Design: Chemeketa and Mt. Hood; Digital media/imaging design: Chemeketa, Clackamas, Linn Benton, Mt. Hood, PCC, Southwestern and Tillamook Bay.)
Due to the employment outlook, it is not currently recommended that COCC continue to pursue development of a credit based associates program in this area. Community and employer needs could be met by expanded current Community Learning offerings.
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One potential recommendation is to include an Apple based lab in the new Redmond Tech Center. This lab could potentially benefit a number of existing college courses and programs in art and photography. Community Learning programs in these areas would also use it
extensively as well.
Resources: Region 10 Employment Projections 2008-2018, www.QualityInfo.org
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Sustainability Programming Recommendations Introduction
COCC proposed sustainability as one of the programs submitted to the state under consideration for the Technology Education Center. COCC is already offering non-credit courses in sustainability. Courses offered through continuing education include: Sustainability Building Advisor; Home Energy Analyst Training; and Green Building Strategies & LEED Exam Prep Courses. In addition, there was curriculum developed in the last couple of years in conjunction with OSU-Cascades and an Advisory Committee for an A.A.S. degree in Sustainable Energy Management. See Appendix A of this document for the curriculum. The proposed A.A.S. degree is not currently aligned with OSU-Cascades’ new degree in Energy Engineering Management (EEM) since it was not complete when COCC’s degree was created. The current degree does have six courses in common with OSU-Cascades’ degree and could be modified to transfer easily to Cascades. Another option would be to create an articulation agreement with Cascades for students wanting to pursue the EEM degree.
A statewide consortium recently created a Green Technician certificate. COCC was part of this consortium but isn’t currently offering the courses. Students in our region who wish to enroll in this certificate program must do so through COIC and Umpqua Community College. Approval for this certificate and coursework is currently being prepared for submittal to COCC’s Curriculum and Academic Affairs committees so that local students can take courses through COCC instead of Umpqua starting fall 2011.
Representatives from the community who were interested in sustainability participated in the Technology Education Center Planning Task Force. While nearly everyone agreed that there is tremendous potential in sustainability, there were concerns about how many jobs there would be in the local area. There was also uncertainty about what type of training and education would be best for students interested in sustainability. The group concluded that many students would be interested in studying various aspects of sustainability but it was less certain as to which type of sustainability would be the best to focus on and whether students would find employment. Opportunity
Sustainability is clearly an area of growth. Nearly all industries and organizations realize that their future depends on decreasing their waste in order to not only be better stewards of the planet, but to reduce their costs as well. Because of this, “sustainability” means different things to different organizations and industries. In many ways, it is multi-disciplinary. Students going into this field(s) need strong science, math, and social science preparation. While there is a need for some technicians, most of the job growth will be for those with bachelors or masters degrees. Even the CEO of Solar World in Hillsboro said “While we need some engineers and technicians, most of our employees need to be broadly trained so that they can grow with the company as the industry changes”.
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Depending on the direction we take with the programs in sustainability, the career potential will change. For the purposes of this paper, the Green Technician Certificate and OSU-Cascades EEM degree will be assessed.
From the statewide approval form, the Green Technician Certificate will prepare students in the following way.
“This program will not only provide graduates with the requisite technical skills to serve in a variety of entry-level maintenance and repair positions, they will also receive specific instruction in sustainability and green practices. This certificate will serve as a solid foundation for individuals wishing to increase their skills via additional education or on-the-job training in occupations such a millwright or electrical apprenticeships, industrial machinery mechanics and equipment installers and technicians. The certificate will also serve as excellent preparation for graduates wishing to increase their skills via additional education or on-the-job training for a variety of “Green Occupations” such as wind turbine technicians, energy systems auditors, photo-voltaic solar technicians and installers, as well as wave energy technicians. This program will also be a viable pre-apprenticeship program which should make graduates very competitive for apprenticeship openings in a variety of apprenticable occupations such as millwright and electricians.”
According the statewide consortium, graduates from the Green Technician Certificate will be prepared for the following jobs:
Maintenance Technician Mechanic Maintenance Mechanic Machine Repairer Maintainer Maintenance Worker
Building Equipment Operator Trades Helper
Maintenance Helper
General Maintenance Mechanic Facilities Maintenance Technician Technician’s Helper
Wages should range from a low of $10.62/hour to $26.24/hour. By 2018, jobs in the above categories are expected to grow by 6.57% in Oregon and 11% nationally. It is unclear at this time how many jobs for graduates in this program will be available in Central Oregon. This certificate, however, should be a nice complement to our manufacturing programs in Redmond.
The OSU-Cascades EEM program is a hybrid of mechanical and industrial engineering with additional foci on business management and energy related courses. This degree is very heavy in math and science and may take our average student longer to complete since it assumes that
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students are prepared to take calculus their first term of their first year. For this reason, it may not easily fit onto our proposed A.A.S. degree because it only requires MTH 113. If students were not ready for calculus right away, they could do both of our A.A.S. degree and OSU’s EEM degree in five years.
According to OSU-Cascades’ website, students completing their degree are prepared for the following jobs:
Energy Facility Operations Manager Energy Project Engineer
Process Engineer Systems Engineer Equipment Engineer Energy Efficiency Engineer Certified Energy Manager Certified Energy Auditor Energy Distribution Manager Energy Smart Planner
Business Solutions Engineer Automation Engineer
Energy Conservation Engineer Energy Broker
OSU did not provide any projected job numbers or wages in their promotional materials. Student Enrollment
There are 80 students enrolled in the statewide Green Technician certificate program starting this winter. It is predicted that there will be 100 or more students per year going through this program across the state. OSU-Cascades’ EEM program has no student enrollment data at this time since the degree is just starting.
Faculty
COCC would need to hire a Program Director who could also teach some of the curriculum in the Green Technicians certificate. With our community resources, part-time faculty could be available. All the freshman and sophomore level courses for the EEM degree are existing courses at COCC so there would be no need for additional faculty.
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Costs to Operate
Unknown at this time. Grant Possibilities
This would need further research. Summary
It is recommended that COCC offer the Green Technician certificate and explore creating an articulation agreement with OSU-Cascades for the EEM degree. In addition, the proposed A.A.S. degree should be modified. It this degree were modified somewhat, it would allow students who are pursuing the GT certificate a chance to continue their education and training.
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APPENDIX A
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY MANAGEMENT
Associate of Applied Science Degree97 Credits; seven quarters if attending full time
Year One (Certificate 56 credits; 4 terms)
Fall termSE 101 Sustainable Energy and the Environment 4 credits
PH 201 General Physics I 4 credits
MTH 111 College Algebra 4 credits
WR 121 English Composition 4 credits
16 credits Winter term
SE 102 Sustainable Energy Resources 4 credits
PH 202 General Physics II 4 credits
MTH 112 Trigonometry 4 credits
GEOG 106 Economic Geography 4 credits 16 credits Spring term
SE 103 Sustainable Energy Applications 4 credits GE 102 Engineering Problem Solving and Tech 4 credits
CIS 120 Computer Concepts 4 credits
PH 203 General Physics III 4 credits
16 credits Summer term Pick one of these skills tracks
SE 110 and 111 Sustainable Building Advisor I and II 8 credits OR
SE 120 and 121 Photovoltaic System Design and
Installation I and II 8 credits OR
SE 103 and 131 Domestic Hot Water Thermal Design
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Year Two (AAS degree) Total 97 credits
Fall term
CH 104 Intro to Chemistry OR
GS 105 Physical Science: Chemistry 4 credits GEOG 205 Sustainable Development 4 credits
BI 200 Ecology 3 credits
SP 111 Fundamentals of Public Speaking OR
SP 219 Small Group Communication 3 credits 14 credits Winter term
GEOG 208 Landforms and Water 4 credits SP 218 Interpersonal Communications 3 credits
CH 260 Electrochemistry 4 credits
WR 227 Technical Writing 4 credits
15 credits Spring term
GEOG 209 Weather and Climate 4 credits MTH 113 Topics in Precalculus 4 credits SE 280 Co-op Exp in Energy and Resource 4 credits
