Charleston, W.Va. – The West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education (Council) has approved the development of four new technical programs.
“Community and technical colleges are designed to address the immediate training and education needs of the State’s workforce,” said Chancellor James L. Skidmore. “Through long-standing partnerships with regional employers, our colleges can generate high-quality programs to prepare West Virginians for high-wage, long-term careers. These new programs will provide students with the necessary skills to succeed in the emerging areas of energy, advanced manufacturing, and health care.”
Below is a list of the new technical programs:
Renewable Energy Systems
Degree Level: Certificate of Applied Science
Institution: Blue Ridge CTC
Enrollment Per Year: 10-15
EMI/Mechatronics Technology
Degree Level: Associate in Applied Science/Certificate of Applied Science
Institution: BridgeValley CTC
Enrollment Per Year: 20+
Instrumentation Technology
Degree Level: Associate in Applied Science
Institution: BridgeValley CTC
Enrollment Per Year: 100+
Health Informatics
Degree Level: Associate in Applied Science
Institution: Mountwest CTC
Enrollment Per Year: 10-15
The Council allocated $2.01 million in its FY2015 budget for technical program development. Each community and technical college has an opportunity to submit a proposal and request up to $220,000 per program. A committee comprised of Council staff reviewed the proposals and made recommendations to the Council. Four proposals were submitted and each school received the full amount requested.
Since 2007, community and technical colleges have developed 133 new technical programs to meet the demands of West Virginia’s workforce.