business backgrounder | education & workforce
repairs and troubleshooting on a variety of systems including electrical controls , motors and pumps and gives them proficiency in basic welding skills .
“ There are many different industries where these skills would be useful ,” Stockdale said .
Another benefit of using an existing certificate program is that once students complete the certificate , they have half of the credits for a two-year Associate of Applied Science ( AAS ) degree . Stockdale noted that these students could choose to come back to WWCC or transfer credits to further their education later .
“ We prefer to use our existing certificates and degrees whenever possible ,” Stockdale said .
The first cohort of 10 WWCC students from Tyson trained during the 2019-2020 academic year . Since WWCC is about an hour drive from the Tyson facility , the training originally took place at a high school between the two locations . Halfway through the first cohort , the Covid-19 pandemic closed classes for a short time . After courses were able to resume , the high school was no longer available so classes were moved to the WWCC campus . When it was time to begin the second cohort , in the 2020-2021 school year , it was agreed upon by both partners that the WWCC campus was the best place to hold the training .
“ We just all decided the facilities and support system was so much better on our campus ,” Stockdale said .
In recognition of the commute the students had to make , WWCC changed the course from a few hours every day to two eight-hour training sessions per week . In keeping with policies in the 1 + 2 Program , Tyson employees enrolled in the JSP funded training program split their time between classroom education and hands-on experience in the plant and were considered full-time team members . They were paid 40 hours per week and were eligible for full benefits , even during classroom hours . Upon graduation , they were classified as level 8 technicians .
“ The hands-on part of the program at the facility Tyson plant was extremely useful because we got real-life training and gave us a good idea of what we would be doing ,” said Mario Diaz , team member at Tyson Foods ’ Pasco plant . “ Now that I ’ ve been in the maintenance department for a year and a half , I can say that it has helped me at work as well as outside of work . I see things differently and I take a hands-on approach with many situations in my life .”
The JSP grant funding has a requirement for in-kind cash or contributions from the business partner . Part of Tyson ’ s in-kind contribution to the program was the purchase of training equipment housed on the WWCC campus so that their classrooms were designed in a way that is similar to the maintenance work in our facilities . Tyson also covers two-thirds of tuition costs for all students enrolled in the program .
Two WWCC adjunct professors conduct all of the training for the Tyson employees except one welding segment . Stockdale noted both instructors are bilingual in Spanish and English . Since Spanish is the first language of some of the students , it helped for the instructors to be able to speak in Spanish when it came to some of the more technical terminology in the textbooks .
“ They really get to know the students and really got to understand where they were at and how to support them better ,” Stockdale said . “ We think that lent some strength to the program because it gave them some continuity .”
The third cohort between WWCC and Tyson is in the planning process and is expected to take place this coming fall or winter .
40 association of washington business