Sonia Flores of Tulare, little more than a year out of high school, is about to launch her career as medical professional.
“I’ll be done in about a week,” said Flores, 19, a Tulare Western High School graduate, referring to a 14-month, $26,000 dental-assistant program at San Joaquin Valley College, a 1,000-student private junior college in west Visalia which not only provided Flores with dental-assistant certification — but a freshly minted, two-year Associate in Science degree.
“This was the right choice for me,” said Flores, who paid for the program with $10,000 worth in financial aid provided by the college and two loans totaling $16,000. Despite such cost factors, SJVC enrollment is up 25 percent over last year, school officials say.
Gaining an associate’s degree would be less expensive at a junior college, but could take two years or longer. Certification for dental assistant might extend that time even further.
But the time saved means more full-time pay now, Flores said. When she completes her current internship in a Kingsburg-based dental office, she can immediately gain employment at any area dental office starting at $12 an hour and above.
That’s only a first step, Flores said. After a few years’ experience, she plans on training to be a dental hygienist, where pay rates of $20 to $25 an hour are not uncommon.
Fast and furious
In a changing work force, vocational education is also changing — with high-octane, private institutions growing just as fast, or faster, than more traditional vocational education offered by public school systems and state-financed community colleges.
“Industry needs specific skills,” said Joseph Holt, marketing and admissions director for SJVC, which has 10 campuses statewide, including Visalia. “These skills tend to change, and we adjust to those changes.”
SJVC does that by working with an advisory committee composed of industrial professionals, whose input is directly applied to instruction at SJVC. Most programs cost around $12,000 for certificates, to $24,000 and up for two-year degrees.
“Speed [of industrial change] is a big factor,” said Don Wright, director of Visalia’s SJVC campus. “We have to stay on top of that and provide industry the type of talent it needs.”
Milan expanding
Vocational education is growing at other levels locally.
Visalia’s campus of the nationwide Milan Institute, more famous for its cosmetology school but making inroads into other areas, is about to open yet another new location — this one inside a 16,000-square-foot office and classroom complex on Mooney Boulevard in south Visalia near Mooney Grove Park.
“That’s a new location for our health and business school,” said Patrick Taylor, Milan director. Enrollment at this portion of Milan’s school stands at around 200, Taylor said — up from 150 a year ago.
The same upward trend is evident at Milan’s cosmetology school, which last year opened a new location on the 3300 block of South Fairway Street in Visalia. Enrollment there stands at 175 and was 127 a year ago.
Cost ranges from $8,000 to $16,000 per course, depending on category, Taylor said, and some financial aid is available.
Milan started in 1987 under the name Golden State College, Taylor said, but business demands changed, as did the image of the school.
“That’s the reason for diversifying courses outside of the cosmetology area,” said Taylor, whose institute now offers such certificate programs as massage therapy, medical assisting and office administration.
Across-the-board growth
And if anyone thinks the expansion of these costly private schools is cutting into public-sector education, think again. Overall commercial and industrial vocational programs at the 13,000-student College of the Sequoias in Visalia have grown a whopping 65 percent in enrollment over the last four years, said Larry Dutto, commercial technical education director at COS.
“Of the students now enrolled, 8,000 are in the vocational area,” Dutto said. “There is a significant need for qualified job candidates in a variety of industrial technical areas.”
All of this growth in vocational education is not necessarily a product of public-school inadequacy, Dutto and other experts say. It’s just that the bureaucracy of public school is not nearly as nimble in changing philosophies as public and private junior colleges and professional academies.
“No longer can [public] schools stress academics, academics, academics, like the No Child Left Act behind act emphasized,” Dutto said. In the Bush administration’s No Child Left Behind program, students and teachers were held to a certain standard on basic reading, writing and English speaking — but trade skills were never part of the equation.
“Speed [of industrial change] is a big factor,” said Don Wright, director of Visalia’s SJVC campus. “We have to stay on top of that and provide industry the type of talent it needs.”
Milan expanding
Vocational education is growing at other levels locally.
Visalia’s campus of the nationwide Milan Institute, more famous for its cosmetology school but making inroads into other areas, is about to open yet another new location — this one inside a 16,000-square-foot office and classroom complex on Mooney Boulevard in south Visalia near Mooney Grove Park.
“That’s a new location for our health and business school,” said Patrick Taylor, Milan director. Enrollment at this portion of Milan’s school stands at around 200, Taylor said — up from 150 a year ago.
The same upward trend is evident at Milan’s cosmetology school, which last year opened a new location on the 3300 block of South Fairway Street in Visalia. Enrollment there stands at 175 and was 127 a year ago.
Cost ranges from $8,000 to $16,000 per course, depending on category, Taylor said, and some financial aid is available.
Milan started in 1987 under the name Golden State College, Taylor said, but business demands changed, as did the image of the school.
“That’s the reason for diversifying courses outside of the cosmetology area,” said Taylor, whose institute now offers such certificate programs as massage therapy, medical assisting and office administration.
Across-the-board growth
And if anyone thinks the expansion of these costly private schools is cutting into public-sector education, think again. Overall commercial and industrial vocational programs at the 13,000-student College of the Sequoias in Visalia have grown a whopping 65 percent in enrollment over the last four years, said Larry Dutto, commercial technical education director at COS.
“Of the students now enrolled, 8,000 are in the vocational area,” Dutto said. “There is a significant need for qualified job candidates in a variety of industrial technical areas.”
All of this growth in vocational education is not necessarily a product of public-school inadequacy, Dutto and other experts say. It’s just that the bureaucracy of public school is not nearly as nimble in changing philosophies as public and private junior colleges and professional academies.
“No longer can [public] schools stress academics, academics, academics, like the No Child Left Act behind act emphasized,” Dutto said. In the Bush administration’s No Child Left Behind program, students and teachers were held to a certain standard on basic reading, writing and English speaking — but trade skills were never part of the equation.(source) |
