east valley
Volume 2 Issue 04 Mesa, AZ
August 11, 2019
Community college part of White House program TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF
A
IN THE BIZ
Mesa resident who attends Mesa Community College was part of a White House celebration of workers and those who teach them skills. Hannah Chelolah was part of a contingent of Maricopa Community College District representatives who marked Pledge to America’s Workers Month and discussed their innovative efforts to prepare students for the jobs of the future. Chelolah discussed the Everyone Can Code program and how she used coding skills she learned through earning the swift micro certificate to contribute to the Resources, Information and Services for Everyone (RISE) app. “The RISE app was designed and created by a team including Maricopa faculty, my fellow classmates and myself to help students find food, shelter and other resources,” she said. “I have personally reaped the benefits of Apple’s pledge and feel confident that workers in Arizona can increase their job skills and marketability by earning the swift micro certificate,” she said, calling it an “amazing opportunity” to brag about the program to White House officials. Maricopa Community Colleges train and provide certifications for 95 percent of the most in-demand jobs in Arizona with almost 90 percent of students staying in the Valley after graduation. The RISE app, now available in the iTunes App Store, was designed to help students cut the time they spend looking for basic needs and resources so they Public Notices ............... page 3 © Copyright, 2019 East Valley Tribune
can focus on their education. The RISE app was developed for and by MCC students, but its use could be expanded to other colleges. The Everyone Can Code project was built by faculty to create a nine-credit microcertificate that students can complete in less than a year, leading to employability. Mesa, Chandler-Gilbert and Scottsdale Community Colleges have partnered with East Valley cities and technology companies, such as Apple, to launch first-ever coding, cloud and networking certification and degree opportunities through the creation of a Maricopa IT Institute at Mesa. In 2017, there were over 10,000 unfilled jobs in Maricopa County Arizona with the designation of application software developer or programmer. Everyone Can Code started in 2017 and attracts a diverse array of students ranging from high school pupils to retirees. “Offering programs like App development reinforce key initiatives to align education programs around the skills needed in Arizona’s economy,” said district Chancellor Maira Harper-Marinick. Mesa Community College now offers a blockchain technology certificate of completion, becoming one of the first community colleges in the country to provide a such a course of study. Phoenix College offers significant financial assistance to students who are pursuing degrees in the fields of computer science, engineering and related STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields that lead to po(USPS 004-616) is published weekly
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Mesa resident Hannah Chelolah, a student at Mesa Community College, recently attended a White House celebration.(Special to the Tribune)
tential engineering careers. Scottsdale Community College unveiled a state-of-the-art, expanded computer networking lab to help students become certified and trained in cloud computing and virtualization. It now supports 1,000 virtual machines. Nearly all Maricopa Community Colleges continue to work on expanding allied health care opportunities. “Maricopa Community Colleges will focus on innovations inside and outside the classroom,” added Harper-Marinick. “As the largest job training provider in the state, we look forward to the continued collaboration with industry and state leaders to strengthen our exceptional programs that enhance our student’s skills and enable them to be more competitive in today’s economy.” Subscriptions are $26 for 2 years, $14 for one year. Periodicals postage paid at Phoenix, AZ 85026.
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