December 3, 2007
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
System Office Training and Development Center
Room 112 

Minutes

Present:          Jimmy Adams, Cher Brock, Becky Gustamante, Linda Head, Julie Leidig, Ted Lewis, Katherine Miller, Susanne Thaler, Christina Todd 

Susanne opened the meeting indicating that the Workforce Council will continue to evaluate new program opportunities. 

Inquiry was made as to status of environmental scanning project.  Susanne stated that she had met with the chancellor; he was reviewing documents and was well aware of the importance of communicating with and commitment to community members.  Council will be apprised of forthcoming information. 

•I.      New Program Development - Discussion and recommendations 

Medical Staff Services - This was follow-up discussion to address pending items from the October meeting.  Debra Rockefeller indicated that at this time we do not have ability to offer a centralized program.  The program would need to be placed at a college and then moved to the virtual college arena.  There seemed to be difficulty ascertaining exactly who or what career path this program would serve keeping these factors in mind:  low salary for responsibility, hesitancy to be involved in short course, lack of necessity for degree, fit with existing management or health programs.  Marketing efforts would be aimed at small doctor's offices since little or no training is emphasized in this area until it is becomes a liability.

 Action Item

Linda and Becky along with Vivian Lilly will coordinate with program managers to determine outcomes and tasks for all colleges and will report findings at next meeting.

 Assisted Living Facilities Management - Map was presented to show concentration of assisted living centers which indicated that there were not that many in the district's service area.  Katherine asked that the contact hours be added to the checklist:  24 contact hours, 16 state required and eight elective.  Of concern was the lack of interest in the focus group, employment potential, marketing and costs.  Council agreed that more information was needed.  

 Action Item

Susanne will investigate qualifications for instructor, and Katherine will determine elements for developing curriculum.  Findings will be reported at the next meeting.

Corrosion Technology - Map was presented showing highest concentration of corrosion-related companies in Cy-Fair area.  NACE currently offers intense, specialized training on four different levels and has offered their facilities for training purposes.  Kilgore College has the only AAS program in the state, while the aging infrastructure throughout the country as well as aging demographics of current employees (average age 55) indicate a need.  The industry hires technicians with AAS degrees, and there is some opportunity for credit certificate holders for field work.  NDT is the next step on the career ladder for inspection services in this industry, and the program would include opportunities for NHC to train professionals for this part of the industry. 

 Recommendation

Placement of the program should go to Cy-Fair, start-up costs determined and information forwarded to Executive Council for a decision. 

Diesel Mechanics - Susanne presented the feasibility study findings with employers and labor market data strongly supporting the start of a program. As there appears to be demand, this could be a collaborative effort among North Harris, Montgomery and Cy-Fair and also a model for modular structuring of the course. The cost for this program would be significantly reduced if partnered with ISDs.

Recommendation

Placement of this program should go to Cy-Fair, North Harris and Montgomery and will be forwarded to Executive Council for a decision.  The colleges should meet to discuss program structure and goals, as well as start-up costs to be presented to the Executive Council.

•II.    Miscellaneous

Cost Analysis - Council agreed that it would be beneficial to have this information for faculty, facilities, equipment, marketing, licensure, etc., during program investigation process. This information is provided to some extent, but detailed budget information is usually worked out at the college level.
Curriculum Teams - Perhaps membership should be on rotation basis including part-time faculty. Some credit faculty seems to have concern as to CE courses not linked to credit.
Advisory Committees - There was a concern that Advisory Committee members on whether adhering to term limits.