HIGHER EDUCATION Alliance Training Center designed to help meet region’s workforce needs
BY CODY THORN
Science—are the two main programs at NCTC Alliance. Industrial mechatronics, which had 24 students for the fall semester, is the troubleshooting, repair and program- ming of robotics. Robots have taken a bigger role inside warehouse locations, such as distribution centers, but when they quit working properly, a worker must x them. The industrial mechatronics portion of the TRUE grant money was used to buy technology for the students to work with. The medical o ce technology pro- gram is the administrative side of the medical eld. The courses—includ- ing clinical medical assistant, medi- cal administrative assistant, medical billing and coding, and medical o ce technology—provide a chance for stu- dents to transition into the eld quickly in some cases, Laughlin said. The certi ed medical administrative assistant course is a 50-hour course, while a clinical medical assistance program is 120 hours in the classroom and 160 hours working an externship, school o cials said. Future growth The proximity to shopping and busi- nesses could be a plus for the students as well as businesses in the area that need employees, Laughlin said. “NCTC is a vital addition to this area, providing necessary training oppor- tunities to expand the workforce base for this ever-growing vibrant region,” Metroport Chamber President and CEO Sally Aldridge said. Smith said the college has plans to reach out to area high schools to work with those who do not have access to technology centers and possibly o er dual-credit courses. The Alliance area will provide plenty of options, with Northwest ISD and Keller ISD within the immediate foot- print of the area and Carroll ISD and Denton ISD not far away. The program o erings are also expected to be expanded in the future, Smith said. NCTC Alliance is working to add classes, such as HVAC repairs and plumbing, which could happen this school year. “Skill trades are really on the rise, and a lot of people are nding great careers,” Laughlin said. “To o er them in Denton County is huge.” COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
A growing need for specialized workers and a growing area in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex became a catalyst for North Central Texas College to expand. The Gainesville-based junior college opened North Central Texas College Alliance Training Center on Aug. 22. The latest campus for NCTC came together quickly thanks to more than $2.4 million from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Texas Reskilling and Upskilling for Education grants, according to Darrell Smith, NCTC division chair for industrial and energy technology. The school received three di erent grants, which were used to cover curriculum devel- opment, technology and instruction costs as well as purchase equipment for a technical training center. Although the center has opened to students, NCTC has a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony set for the spring, according to Smith. “Now, once we get there and once we get going there, I think we’ll be ne,” said Smith, who works at the Gainesville campus and will teach at NCTC Alliance. Alliance location NCTC is covering the lease for a 25,000-square-foot building and the cost to nish out construction of the location at 3440 Hwy. 114. “NCTC has wanted to have a location in the western Denton County area for quite some time,” said Debbie Sharp, vice president of external a airs. “These grant funds allowed NCTC to respond to the training needs within the western Denton County service area.” A college advisory board looked at locations for a training center in either Denton or the I-35W corridor area, and the Alliance area won out, according to Smith. Reasons for the campus, Smith said, included construction and growth in the area, the large manufacturing pres- ence, and the transportation hub near the Alliance area of Fort Worth. As the seventh campus for NCTC, the Alliance location is not a full campus and is focused on industrial mecha- tronics and medical o ce technology. The courses are designed to provide the education needed to get workers
35W
114
BLUE MOUND RD.
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North Central Texas College’s seventh campus, Alliance Training Center, opened Aug. 22.
The North Central Texas College system received over $2.4 million from the Texas Reskilling and Upskilling Education Grant. HELPING HAND
Engineering technology: $1.462M
Total: $2.4M*
Allied health science: $529,800 HVAC/Plumbing: $412,636
*NOTE: THE TOTAL NUMBER IS ROUNDED
More than 30 students are taking classes this fall at NCTC Alliance Training Center. PATHWAY TO THE WORKFORCE
4 programs o ered at NCTC Alliance
31 students enrolled at NCTC Alliance
SOURCES: NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE COMMUNITY IMPACT
into the eld in as little as eight weeks in some programs and no more than two years in others. With the TRUE grant there will be up to $2,500 per stu- dent available to cover the cost of the programs, according to the school’s press release. “If you are wanting to upskill or reskill, we try to remove as many boundaries as possible,” said Jake Laughlin, director of marketing and public relations. “This is a big invest- ment and leap forward as a college to o er skilled trades in the Denton County area.” The Texas Legislature appropriated $15 million in TRUE grants during the 2021 session, with the funds coming from the American Rescue Plan Act. State Rep. Tan Parker-R, who rep- resents parts of Trophy Club, Westlake, Southlake, Roanoke and Fort Worth, said Texas community colleges have more than 90% of the state’s workforce
credentials. “The junior colleges and vocational schools in the state work to meet the needs of the business community to be able to create a certi cate program that you could really receive a certi cate at in less than six months,” Parker said. “Because, let’s be honest, everybody needs workers yesterday; we can’t wait two years.” With a location close to a number of warehouses, the possibility is there to build relationships with corporations to nd what is needed in the workforce in the Alliance area, Smith said. “That area is really close to a lot of great businesses that will need more and more workforce development over the next few years, and we are excited to be in that position,” Laughlin said. Course o erings Industrial mechatronics and med- ical o ce technology—Allied Health
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