Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Oklahoma CareerTech
Monthly Archives: December 2019
CareerTech Champions
Lana Anderson lectures to Intro to Manufacturing class at Henniges Automotive.
Henniges Automotive – Great Plains Technology Center
CareerTech partnership is driving force behind auto parts manufacturer.
THEN: In the tiny town of Frederick, Oklahoma, Henniges Automotive manufactures parts for companies like GM, Ford and BMW. It’s a thriving company that has been around for four decades. With only 4,000 people living in the blue collar community, however, it has been tough to find enough qualified employees to keep up with the company’s growth.
Henniges recently formed a partnership with Great Plains Technology Center, and together they created an Intro to Manufacturing class that is offered several times a year. Great Plains hosts the class, as well as
- Helping recruit new students.
- Providing an instructor for six hours of safety training.
- Providing teaching assistance for the certification instructor (who had no previous classroom experience).
Working with Great Plains, the novice certification instructor was able to build a class schedule, create a syllabus and make a smooth transition into teaching.
NOW: The manufacturing class has helped Henniges reduce both turnover and absenteeism. Having employees who pay for the six-week certification class shows their commitment to the job. It also increases the employees’ knowledge once they’re hired.
“The safety training allows new employees to help maintain the culture of safety expected in the plant.”
Chase Massie, Henniges human resources manager
Online Professional Development Available for Educators
Oklahoma CareerTech is excited to introduce professional development that fits educators’ schedules and needs.
CareerTech’s Master Educator is an online professional development management system designed to inspire continuous learning through a variety of online courses while also giving individuals the opportunity to track and manage their personal professional development. Course topics range from instructional strategies and classroom management to coaching skills and avoiding burnout. We also have more than 7,000 courses from LinkedIn Learning.
Educators can earn professional development hours that may assist with certification and enhance their professional abilities.
For more information, contact Jennifer Wehrenberg at jennifer.wehrenberg@careertech.ok.gov or 405-743-5155.
High Plains Tech, Panhandle State and Guymon Public Schools Break Ground on Training Center
High Plains Technology Center, Oklahoma Panhandle State University and Guymon Public Schools received a federal $1.5 million grant for a joint welding technology training center in Guymon.
The three educational entities recently broke ground on the center in the Guymon Industrial Park. Students in the center will be able to earn welding certificates from High Plains while also taking academic classes at Panhandle State toward associate or bachelor’s degrees.
Central Tech Training Facility a Model for Other States
Central Technology Center opened Oklahoma’s first oil and gas pipeline and storage training facility in 2011 to meet the training needs of the industry.
The oil and gas industry has a growing need of well-trained and highly skilled workers.
Central Tech’s programs help fill that need in several ways:
- Provide employees with OQ certifications necessary to work in the oil and gas industry.
- Provide students with a career pathway to benefit their future.
- Aid companies in expanding their workforce.
- Assist small companies in obtaining certifications.
- Provide security and safety training to maintain Oklahoma’s safe work environments.
The training facilities include a fully simulated oil and gas storage facility with control center monitoring; pipeline maintenance equipment; CAT backhoe and excavator simulators; and computer systems.