Training for living-wage trade jobs available at new Tacoma center. Have a look
A new training center in Eastside Tacoma offers classes in trade skills like construction and plumbing, part of Clover Park Technical College’s efforts to eliminate an “education desert” in the area.
Clover Park Technical College, which has locations in Lakewood and Puyallup, has been offering classes out of an old cabinet factory in Eastside Tacoma near Stewart Heights Park. It is part of the technical college’s efforts to provide access to technical education and trade skills Eastside residents can get to efficiently using public transportation, without needing to rely on a car.
“We had identified the 98404 as a ZIP code in the city that didn’t necessarily have the level of educational investment that it needed for residents to move up the socioeconomic ladder,” said Lester Burkes, dean of automotive and trades at Clover Park Technical College.
Not only does the program help students gain skills to apply to a future career, it helps them become self-sufficient and eventually find a job, Burkes said.
“We really don’t see our work as complete until students get their first career,” Burkes told The News Tribune.
Brandon Dawley is director of outreach and entry services with Clover Park Technical College. Dawley said the generation of students that are graduating high school now are more interested in acquiring trades skills than before.
“We really thought that that community could benefit from having an education resource available to them that directly pipelines them into a livable wage paying job,” Dawley told The News Tribune.
Students enrolled in classes at the center can study to become a residential plumber or electrician, a low voltage electrician, heating and air conditioning/refrigeration service technician and construction technology. The programs each vary in duration, anywhere from two quarters to six, and students can earn credentials ranging from certificates to associate degrees.
The project is in its early stages — the training center hosted its first students in January as part of a “soft launch.” It officially hosted its first cohort of students when the spring quarter started in April. About 50 students have been through the program since its genesis, Burkes said, a number that they hope to grow as the program picks up speed and evolves to meet the community’s needs.
Burkes said the school doesn’t want to be too “prescriptive” when it comes to developing the training center.
“We know some things that we do well as an institution, but we want to hear what you all want and what you all want to see this space ultimately transform into over time,” Burkes said.
The training center features an open space with room for students to work on projects and practice skills in real time, as well as a few classrooms for the minimal classroom instruction that the program’s offerings require. Burkes said that students taking classes at the Eastside Training Center are working on projects to help build out the lab space for other students to use. For example, carpentry students recently built wooden tables and walls that students in the low-voltage electrician program are now using to practice mounting security panels.
“I think a lot of the students are enjoying being a part of a new and different kind of space,” he said. “Normally when you come into the college, it’s already set up. I think there’s some excitement around being able to build a lot of the things.”
The program is open to anyone who is interested, Burkes said, and free of charge for high school students enrolled in Running Start – a statewide program that allows high school students to start earning college credits in their junior and senior years. It’s also available at no cost to students enrolled at Northwest Career & Technical High School, a school under Clover Park Technical College’s umbrella that allows students to earn a high school diploma and a degree in the technical field at the same time.
Adult students interested in the program can use financial aid to cover the cost of attendance, which varies based on each program.
The center is accepting applications for admissions in the fall, with classes starting on Sept. 29. For more information visit cptc.edu/Eastside.
