Howard Community College

CONNECTIONS Spring 2016 | Pathways 15 HCC's certified nursing assistant (CNA) program. Despite facing challenging language barriers, the couple studied, learned, tested, and passed. "When my family first arrived in the U.S., we weren't sure where to start," said Kodi. "The people at HCC helped us work through a lot of challenges and encouraged us. They pushed us to gain new skills and helped us find work." One of those people was Jennifer Bukowitz Keller, continuing education nursing and allied health program director. She finds it personally rewarding to see just how far Nandhego and Kodi have come in such a short time and to know that she has been able to have some positive impact on their lives. "Ruth and Robert have great respect for education," Bukowitz Keller said. "They have worked so hard and have earned their jobs. Ruth has even encouraged some of her coworkers who have immigrated to the U.S. from other countries to pursue the CNA program at HCC. I am inspired by them and clearly so are others." After earning their CNA certification, Nandhego and Kodi increased their career potential even further by successfully completing HCC's advanced patient skills course. "We both got jobs and continue to learn every day," said Nandhego. "I work full-time at Brighton Gardens of Columbia and Robert was accepted into a critical care mentorship program at Johns Hopkins. We both want to help people who are sick and now we are doing that." New Course Offerings Prepare Students for Employment Middle-skills jobs, which require education beyond high school but not a four-year degree, are on the rise. A recent study by the National Skills Coalition found that in Maryland, nearly 50 percent of jobs are middle-skills positions. Community colleges are in just the right position to respond to this workforce need. New programs at Howard Community College are geared towards training students to pursue these often well paying career paths. In partnership with Anne Arundel Community College and the Independent Electrical Contractors (Chesapeake Division), HCC is now offering a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) technician pre-apprenticeship training program to prepare students for positions as entry- level technicians. Courses combine theory and hands-on training for the installation, maintenance, and repair of residential heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. "There is a high demand for this skill set in our community and the partnership gives us a broader reach to recruit more students," said Eddie Swain, associate vice president of continuing education and workforce development. "This program is good for younger people who are starting their careers, as well as existing electricians who want to expand their skill set." Another new program aimed at filling the middle-skills gap is the health care interpreter certificate program. When someone with a limited knowledge of the English language requires medical treatment, communication can be one of the most challenging obstacles that person faces. As the U.S. becomes more diverse and access to health care continues to increase, so does the need for language interpreters. HCC's new health care interpreter certification program will be introduced in fall 2016, offering training to bilingual and bicultural students who are interested in serving as interpreters in a health care setting. The program, launching with financial support from the Horizon Foundation, emphasizes interpretation skill development along with medical terminology and ethics. "There is a growing need for this service and HCC can be a great place for hospitals to recruit because of the diversity of our student population," said Swain. "We are building the curriculum for this program now and are seeing a lot of interest, thanks to the grant funding we received from the Horizon Foundation." ... in Maryland, nearly 50 percent of jobs are middle-skills positions. And community colleges are in just the right position to respond to this workforce need.

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