The case for technical education

The year 2020 has kept many of us apart, but has also brought us together in many ways.
Here at Gateway, we’ve worked hard to meet the educational needs of our students. Some have become employment casualties of the pandemic who’ve turned to us to gain training for a new career to support themselves and their families, while others are seeking training for that first-time career or to upskill.

The impact a technical education can have on a student is life changing – and that’s the greatest case for technical education.

Technical colleges like Gateway are rising in the ranks of colleges of first choice for students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, high school graduates enrolling in two-year institutions increased from 21 percent in 2000 to 25 percent in 2018. What they gain from technical colleges are in-demand skills.

Knowledge and skills are defining the future workforce. It is encouraging to see more students leveraging the resources of Gateway as their stepping stone into their life’s-work.

We commend all of our students for their perseverance, and it is that perseverance and determination which has helped to bring us all together this year.

Gateway recognizes nurses at pinning event

Gateway Technical College recognized 41 Nursing program graduates at a traditional nurse pinning ceremony tweaked for a 2020 format Dec. 11 on its Kenosha Campus.

Nursing graduate Jesus Vega served as the student speaker for the event, which featured the historic “blessing of the hands” ceremony. The event recognized students who graduated from the Nursing program in Fall 2020.

“We celebrated the entry of 41 new nurses into a more complex workforce than ever before. We are so proud of their perseverance and dedication to become nurses to continue and stay focused on their studies,” said Vicki Hulback, dean, Gateway Technical College School of Health.

“Pinning and the blessing of the hands is a rite of passage and we can not skip this tradition as we send them out into the workforce to care for our families and community.”

Gateway holds ceremony to honor Metallica CNC grads

Students who completed an intense, 21-week CNC training program at the college’s SC Johnson iMET Center were honored recently at an event at the center.

Funded in part by a $50,000 Metallica All Within My Hands Foundation grant, 14 students gained the skills for entry-level CNC operator positions, some even beginning their careers before they completed the program.

Students gained CNC skills, a Gateway CNC Operator certificate, several industry-specific certifications and 25 credits toward a Gateway CNC Production Technician technical diploma. To earn the diploma, they have to complete only 11 more credits.

College holds opening for EVOC track

Gateway held an opening ceremony for the newly named Emergency Vehicle Operation Course sponsored by Kunes Automotive Group, a center that will meet the needs of Gateway students in many different programs as well as provide a training site for the college’s law enforcement academy and area first responders.

The track was named in recognition of the generous gift made by the Kunes Country Auto Group of $250,000 to the Gateway Technical College Foundation to support student scholarships in automotive technology, diesel technology and public safety training.

The track is located at the college’s Horizon Center for Transportation Technology in Kenosha.

Sign-up workshops for SC Johnson HOPE grants to be held

Gateway Technical College will hold three online workshops for those interested in enrolling in additional training sessions for the successful SC Johnson-funded Highly Skilled Occupations for Professional Employment (HOPE) program.

The effort provides cost-free training to workers for in-demand career fields. Enrollment for these programs is open now.

The online workshops will be held: Dec. 21, 5:30 p.m.; Jan. 6, 2 p.m.; Jan. 12, 5:30 p.m.

Urban forestry students partner with Habitat for Humanity

Gateway Arboriculture/Urban Forestry Technician students partnered with Habitat for Humanity-Kenosha to help on a project to benefit local families.

Students felled, bucked, limbed and chipped a number of trees at a site where two Habitat homes will be built next year. Pruning of the remaining trees will also provide service opportunities for future program students.

Instructor and Arboriculture/Urban Forestry director Aaron Schauer said working on the Habitat project gives students the opportunity to work with a community service group while also honing the skills they will need in their future careers.

Gateway named s mikeroweWORKS college

Gateway has been named as one of the first colleges to participate in the national expansion of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation’s initial curriculum, known as the MRW Work Ethic Certification.

This program is an extension of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation’s S.W.E.A.T. Pledge and examines the importance of work ethic, personal responsibility, delayed gratification and a positive attitude. Students who successfully complete the program will receive an industry-recognized National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3) certificate.

“The program is geared toward professionalism and conduct in the workplace, the value of working hard, budgeting for your future,” said Richard Shouse, CNC instructor and one of only 20 instructors nationwide trained to teach the course. “It’s a very thought-provoking program.”

Summer 2020 Deans list announced

Gateway Technical College has released its Dean’s List for the Summer 2020 semester.

This award is reserved for those students who completed at least 6 hours of postsecondary course work – not including development/remedial credits – and achieved a grade point average of 3.75 or higher.

This distinction recognizes the determination, dedication and effort necessary to attain this level of academic success.