Wayne Community College among 'Top 10' nationally
By From staff reports
Published in News on September 7, 2018 5:50 AM
Wayne Community College has again made the Top 10 nationally for having high certification numbers, officials said.
The college finished in the Top 10 every year since 2014, when the National Coalition of Certification Centers, or NC3, began tracking numbers of certifications earned at institutions.
The announcement was made during the recent Annual Leadership Conference of NC3, and represented certificates earned in the past year.
In the years since the Top 10 measure was launched, WCC consistently surpassed its numbers over the previous year. In 2014, 373 certifications were recorded, increasing to 480 the following year and then spiking to 641 in 2016. The trend continued last year, when 711 were earned.
Among the programs where certifications can be earned were HVAC, or heating, ventilation and air conditioning; mechanical engineering; industrial systems; computer-integrated machining; and automotive.
NC3, a network of education providers and corporations, supports and advances new and emerging technology skills in such areas as transportation, aviation and energy industry sectors. It was established to address the need for strong industry partnerships with educational institutions in order to develop, implement and sustain industry-recognized portable certifications that have strong assessment standards.
Wayne Business and Industry Center Executive Director Craig Foucht praised the college for being part of NC3, saying it is worthwhile in getting students hired over the competition.
"The NC3 certifications earned by our students give them a competitive edge in the job market," he said. "These certifications attest to the quality of WCC's programs over comparable programs at other institutions.
"They show employers that our students were trained on and can properly operate high-quality equipment from industry partners such as Snap-On, Dremel, Starrett, MOPAR, Greenlee and Festo."
WCC also was chosen as one of a handful of a locations to host the NC3 Train-the-Trainer conferences. That will be the case next month, Oct. 22-26, offering 16 in-depth and hands-on courses for instructors from across the country. The sessions are designed to prepare them to implement NC3 certifications for their students.