Dwight Hughes, Autry Expertise Heart’s superintendent and CEO, speaks throughout Autry’s Northwest Oklahoma Contractors Convention Sept. 17, 2021, at Stride Financial institution Heart’s Grand Ballroom.
ENID, Okla. — As Autry Expertise Heart nears its sixth decade in Enid, its new superintendent says the CareerTech middle is eager on persevering with to supply college students “a buffet” of sensible abilities to study.
Dwight Hughes, superintendent and CEO, started his place final fall. He stated not too long ago he expects town’s well being care and manufacturing industries to proceed to develop, prompting Autry’s company coaching specialists to spend essentially the most time working with these two sectors.
Getting hands-on schooling
The turnover from COVID, Hughes stated, has known as for extra well being care staff to return to Northwest Oklahoma, the place no pupil residency program at the moment exists.
Hughes stated he’s grateful Autry’s college students can study commerce abilities in-person once more with classes again in full swing because the COVID pandemic started almost two years in the past. He stated he would love Autry to ultimately have a mannequin hospital to function a backup facility for native hospital methods if future crises emerge.
Having grown up on a farm in western Oklahoma, Hughes stated he personally understands the significance of getting hands-on studying.
“It’s exhausting to study … a hands-on talent, when you can’t get your palms on one thing,” he stated.
Opening new alternatives
Autry is within the midst of enrollment for the 2022-23 college yr to fill greater than 800 complete seats, prioritizing, so as, present college students, these from Autry’s 10 companion college districts and any grownup college students.
Highschool sophomores started touring the campus a pair weeks in the past in preparation for taking programs within the fall, Hughes stated.
The CareerTech middle has 25 full-time grownup applications, which, other than superior medical applications additionally can be found to accepted highschool juniors and seniors who attend Autry half of the college day.
Hughes stated the college is now working with NOC to create a highschool pupil pathway choice to obtain faculty credit for any of the applications Autry gives.
“If that’s a route any person needs to take, we must make it simple for them. It shouldn’t be a tough factor to do,” he stated. “So most likely in just a bit over a yr, you might have an affiliate diploma after you graduate highschool.”
Autry respiratory college students Caterina Stevens (left) and Chelsi Bolin exhibit a respiratory remedy in 2017 at Autry Expertise Heart.
Discovering a profession
Every program at Autry has an advisory committee of native trade professionals to counsel new instructions or buying the newest gear.
Since Autry Tech’s long-touted respiratory care program opened in 2006, 118 college students have graduated, with a 96% move charge on board examinations performed by Nationwide Board for Respiratory Care. Of these graduates, 94% have discovered positions working within the discipline, in response to Autry.
Autry companions with Northern Oklahoma Faculty so college students go on to obtain an affiliate of utilized science diploma in respiratory care from the school in Enid.
These graduates usually go to work at Enid’s hospitals, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Heart and Integris Bass Baptist Well being Heart, in addition to hospitals in Oklahoma metropolis, Dallas, Houston and Alaska, program director Dr. Deryl Gulliford stated in a latest information launch.
“As we speak, anybody who graduates from our program and needs to follow will discover a place,” Gulliford stated.
Jaznee White, a graduate of the Autry respiratory care program who already had a bachelor’s diploma, stated she was completed with this system in lower than two years.
“A giant resolution issue for me was I didn’t need to be at school one other 4 years or be in additional pupil debt,“ White stated. “That’s once I realized about Autry Tech’s respiratory care program and fell in love.”
Making use of to attend
Functions for Autry’s 5 superior medical applications, together with respiratory care, are due Might 4.
Potential college students should full a brief, on-line utility; submit three letters of advice; present transcripts and take a look at scores; and attend one of many required orientation classes. One statement and a private interview will likely be scheduled for certified candidates.
Autry additionally gives night and weekend short-term programs and certifications in lots of profession fields to college students and to space workers.
Assembly trade demand
Hughes stated corporations already restricted on potential workforce at the moment are seeking to practice present employers to develop new abilities.
Hughes stated he may see Autry providing different coaching certifications in well being care resembling a complicated CNA (licensed nursing assistant) to satisfy developments within the trade.
“As these issues come alongside, I may see us including these certifications simply to satisfy the trade demand on that,” he stated.
Autry’s company coaching crew has offered certifications resembling industrial upkeep, AC/DC, hydrologic schematics and rigging for cranes. A producing firm was in want of certification in poly fusion welding — used to create casings for fiber-optic cable — for instance, so Autry started offering it, Hughes stated.
“Companies know they’ve a spot to go and land,” he stated.