TRIPLE THREAT ANC provides three tiers of skilled career training and continuing education. LEN ANDERSEN Age: 55 Job: Automation technician Company: Alliance Rubber, Hot Springs Snapshot: Originally from the Pacific Northwest where he learned factory work from the ground up, Andersen has reinvented himself with new skills and now plays a critical role in an Arkansas manufacturing company. WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR START IN MANUFACTURING? I’m from Lebanon, Oregon. I started out in the 1980s in a plywood mill sweeping floors. I worked my way up to a dryer tender where I was the lead guy over all the dryers that would dry the veneer. All I had for education then was just my high school diploma. By the ‘90s they had shut the plant down and that led me back to college. I did a year at a community college and took their automotive technology class. Then I went into industrial painting for a while. After that, I was offered a job here in Arkansas. SINCE COMING TO ARKANSAS, HAVE YOU DONE ANY OTHER CONTINUING EDUCATION? I have. Since I’ve come here to Alliance, they’ve sent me back to [National Park College] over here and I’ve taken up some classes to operate some CNC machinery equipment and I’ve done a CAD class which helps with what I’m doing here for Alliance. WHAT DOES YOUR WORKDAY INCLUDE? I help design and build equipment. I run the milling machines, lathes. I do CAD work. I do a little bit of everything on these machines that we’re building. WHAT WOULD SOMEONE LOOKING TO GET INTO THIS CAREER NEED FOR THIS JOB? You have to be strong in math. You need to be strong in your computer skills so you can master the variations of different CAD drawing programs. And you have to be a creative thinker. You have to think outside of the box. That is important in what I’m doing, problem solving and looking at more than one way. Be open for suggestions, too. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR SOMEONE STUCK IN A POOR-PAYING JOB LOOKING TO MAKE A CAREER CHANGE? I think nowadays, people don’t want to put the time in to do this. They want it just right now. If you want to better yourself you’re going to have to bite the bullet, put the time in. 30
BLUEPRINT | 2019 | ARKANSAS TIMES
A
rkansas Northeastern College had evolved into one of Arkansas’s leading centers for career development and training in skilled fields, thanks to a unique three-tiered training structure. Included in this program are the nationally recognized The Solutions Group (TSG), the Allied Technologies Division housing post-secondary technical programs and the ANC Tech Center for local high schools. These three elements combine to provide leading-edge education at every phase of a worker’s professional life. ANC Technical Center has an annual average enrollment of 205 students from eight local high schools. All students have the opportunity to take approved Technical Center classes for college credit at no cost to the students. Students in aviation technology, construction, medical professions and welding can all graduate with a college credential while in high school Stacy Walker, ANC director of industrial training, said the center fills a critical need for local high school students wanting to get a jump on their careers. “Technical programs are generally the most expensive, therefore most high schools cannot provide a full range of offerings for their students,” she said. “The ANC Tech Center allows them to bus their students to the Center for Allied Technologies where they can choose from several programs and also earn college credit if they so choose.” Allied Technologies is the post-secondary division offering college students certificates and/ or degrees in a variety of trades, including air conditioning and refrigeration, computer information systems, steel industry technology and advanced manufacturing. “This division makes up about one-third of the student population at Arkansas Northeastern College,” Walker said. “College degrees range from one semester Certificates of Proficiency, to one-year technical certificates and two-year associate degrees. These programs are designed to prepare the students for work immediately upon completion.” TSG is the training arm of the college, comprised of highly trained specialists in a variety of fields who work closely with employers to tailor training to meet specific needs. Training solutions range from one-hour refreshers to multiyear projects and are customized to each company’s needs. “There is no cookie-cutter approach to TSG
training,” Walker said. “Each client is highly involved in the process. TSG instruction is paid for by the hour, not by headcount, which is a unique approach allowing businesses to determine the most cost-effective utilization of the training.” In addition, the school offers a number of unexpected extras such as stressing soft skills and promoting internships. These experiences help round graduates into valued workers who can commend top dollar in the marketplace. “Workplace readiness skills have been incorporated into all of ANC’s Allied Technologies’ technical certificates and associate’s degree programs,” Walker said. “Workplace essentials offers the students the ability to create a resume, practice interviewing techniques, public speaking, teamwork, teambuilding and workplace ethics. These soft skills are also embedded in every course that we teach.”
TECHNICAL TRAINING BY THE NUMBERS
Looking to invest your educational dollar wisely? Arkansas Northeastern College provides one of the best returns on investment dollars in the state. Low tuition and an accelerated curriculum, some of which may be completed online, allow graduates to gain training and experience in two years or less at a reasonable cost and command handsome salaries after graduation.
COSTS
Mississippi County Resident tuition (includes students and graduates of Buffalo Island Central High School) — $70/credit hour Out-of-County (includes the Missouri counties of Dunklin, Pemiscot and New Madrid) — $80/ credit hour Out-of-State and International — $130/credit hour
EARNINGS
HVAC — $50,190 average annual wages Construction Technology — $57,836 average annual wages Welding — $60,802 average annual wages Industrial Electrical — $84,353 average annual wages Steel Industry Technologies — $93,218 average annual wages