Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Open Board of Directors Meeting
San Bernardino Community College District
114 S. Del Rosa Drive
San Bernardino, CA 92408
Minutes
Present: Deborah Barmack, Peter Barmack, Carole Beswick, Tom Brickley, Ken Coate, Jennifer Cusack, Scott Hofferber, Mark Kaenel, Lowell King, P.T. McEwen, John Mirau, Dan Murphy, Roman Nava, Cid Pinedo, Kristine Scott, Paul Shimoff and Ray Wolfe.
Guests: Ted Alejandre, Adam Eventov, Michael Kreeger, Angie Nett and Arnold San Miguel.
Announcements: 1) The law firm of Cota Cole & Huber has been proposed for membership. Dennis Cota would serve as the member. This is the second announcement and a vote will be held next week. To learn more about them visit their web site at http://www.cotalawfirm.com/ .
M/S/P: Minutes from May 23, 2017
Peter Barmack introduced Rod Hoover, California Steel Industries, Steve Tyrell, Mitsubishi Cement Corp. and Melissa Milton, Business Liaison, Chaffey College Workforce Training Inst.
Although San Bernardino County has an abundance of blue collar workers the pool is actually very small for those that have basic manufacturing skills. New machinery, robotics, and advanced manufacturing technology require a higher level of knowledge for operation, maintenance and repair. There has been a push for schools to prepare students to go to college and the skilled trades have become undervalued in both the education systems and the collective consciousness. They are not however undervalued in the workplace. A few examples of needed Industrial skills are Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), print reading, hydraulics, programmable logic controller (PLC), welding and AutoCAD.
Companies like California Steel and Mitsubishi Cement have numerous long time openings for skilled industrial craftspeople. These trades include industrial mechanics and engineers, diesel garage mechanics, welders, millwrights, etc. These jobs typically start at $22.00 per hour with journey level positions at $27-$35.00 or more. Competition for these employees comes predominantly from the utility companies that traditionally offer higher hourly wages. The Manufacturing Council of the Inland Empire (MCIE) has identified that the top two needs are employees with skills and experience.
Chaffey College is addressing this by working directly with manufacturing employers to create programs in their Industrial Technical Learning Center (INTECH). The center located on the California Steel Industries property in Fontana currently offers programs such as Automation & Process Control, both Manufacturing and Industrial Basic Machine Operator and Basic Electrician, HVAC, AutoCAD and more. Certification from the National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) is available upon successful completion of many of these courses. The hands on training is available for both full time and part time participants and free for qualified applicants. The InTech Center provides individual certificate programs as well as comprehensive career skill development.
INTECH is now the recipient of a $1M grant from the Irvine Foundation to bridge this lack of training and experience. Similar to the On-the-Job Training (OJT) program that helped offset the cost of hiring and training, employers can apply to participate in training programs that pay employees while in specified training. This contract education provides high quality instruction that meets the needs of the regional manufacturers and enhances the local work force. The partnership with Community Colleges makes sense as Community Colleges are based and focused on service to the community vs. private facilities that are based on making a profit and leave students with substantial debt.
A Q & A period followed
Meeting adjourned at 8:30 a.m.