FROM THE GROUND UP CVTC offers help to local entrepreneurs
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hippewa Valley Technical College took part in the Startup Eau Claire Week Nov. 5-9 to assist area entrepreneurs in making their business ideas a reality. On Tuesday, Nov. 6, CVTC hosted its second annual Start a Business: Step One event in which local experts helped participants understand the first steps in starting a business. A local financial lending expert, the area economic development corporation, Small Business Development Center, Western Dairyland, and successful entrepreneurs took part. The goal of this event was to connect entrepreneurs with local resources to get started with their businesses. Participants listened to a panel discussion and individual speakers, and also had an opportunity to network with one another and with area resources that could help them. On Friday, Nov. 9, CVTC sponsored a Business Bus Tour, hosted by Nick White, an entrepreneur and co-owner of
Chippewa Valley Tours. The tour ventured through the city visiting local businesses so entrepreneurs could learn about their start-up stories and how they met key challenges. Startup Eau Claire Week was part of the statewide Startup Wisconsin Week focusing on fostering an entrepreneurial spirit throughout the Badger State. Helping people start their own businesses is an ongoing part of CVTC’s mission. Virtually all CVTC programs have produced graduates who went on to own their own businesses. An Entrepreneurship technical diploma program at CVTC started in 2017.
Let’s talk about your big ideas. cvtc.edu/Entrepreneurship
FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE CVTC takes aim at teacher shortage
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new Foundations of Teacher Education program at Chippewa Valley Technical College can play a role in alleviating a teacher shortage in the area. The program, which opened at the start of the current Fall 2018 semester, offers the first two years of training toward a license to teach in the K-12 education system. Graduates earn an associate degree and can then transfer to a fouryear college to complete a bachelor’s degree and become fully licensed. “By completing the program, they also become paraprofessionals who are considered highly qualified to work in instructional support for math and reading,” said Lynette Livingston, dean of business and academic initiatives at CVTC. The coursework consists of general education and teaching methods classes, just as a teacher preparation program would during the first two years of a university program. Instructor Melody Brennan noted the program is offered both online and face-to-face, with some of the 17 students enrolled taking a combination of both methods. In some cases, graduates of the program can earn a
teaching license immediately. The state allows people who have completed an associate degree in a technical education field, such as an agriculture or manufacturing program, to become licensed K-12 teachers with a second associate degree in Foundations of Teacher Education or a similar program. “The need for this program came out of a request by the CESA (Cooperative Educational Services Agency) district and our K-12 partners, who have identified a teacher shortage,” Livingston said. “The program presents a new pathway for people interested in the profession.”
Discover your future in education. cvtc.edu/FoundationsOfTeacherEducation
CHIPPEWA VALLEY TECHNICAL COLLEGE MAGAZINE
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