Todd Rentz and Laura Rosas, iCAN program counselors help students enhance their work skills. Photo: Austin Dolan
In a national grant competition, the University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges competed against every state and won a $25 million grant, the most that could be awarded.
This grant involves all seven community colleges. The programs created, Just in Time (JiT) and Individualized Career Achievement Work (iCAN) focus on three economic sectors: agriculture, health care, energy, explained Louise Pagotto, vice chancellor of academic affairs.
JiT and iCAN are free until September 2014, which are available through this C3T (Community College and Career Training) grant.
KapCC’s programs are designed around healthcare, how English and math work into the healthcare field.
The programs are open to those interested in returning to school, or who will be new to college, Todd Rentz, iCAN academic and career development counselor explained.
“(The programs) are to get them trained so they can enter the workforce in energy, agriculture or health,” Pagotto said.
Qualification for these programs are dependent on COMPASS testing scores, explained Mary Ann Esteban, JiT math faculty coordinator.
If a student places in PCM 23, and PCC 20 or ENG 21, then they are qualified for the iCAN program. If students test into PCM 23 and ENG 22, they will be advised to enroll in JiT.
JiT and iCAN have taken the place of the PCM and PCC classes, which are no longer offered.
iCAN
iCAN is designed to help students improve their reading, math, computer and work related skills to prepare them for the workforce.
“iCan is more robust because students would need strong support in building a solid foundation in Math and Reading skills on top of the other skills involved in the iCAN program,” Esteban said in an email correspondence.
To break up the four-hour classes, which are taught online, students form circle group sessions and can engage with each other.
iCAN counselor, Laura Rosas, focuses on helping students build their soft skills, including but not limited to: time management, teamwork, mindfulness, problem solving.
Her and Rentz also work on developing career related skills, including: resume writing, interviewing techniques.
JiT
JiT, started a few months after iCAN in January, is 8-weeks long. It focuses more on building basic math skills so students can be ready to earn certificates from KapCC.
“Most of our students usually have a clear career pathway in mind, with many intent on moving forward to credit courses leading to our degree programs,” Esteban said.
Students participating in JiT will review basic arithmetic skill operations with percents, whole numbers, ration and proportion and more. Some finish the course in one month, some longer, which is why a good attendance record is important, Esteban explained.
“I always struggled in math,” Ashley Maria, 27, communications major said. “This program has helped me keep to my own pace, be flexible with my schedule and following along with the help of a instructor,”
So far both programs have more than 100 students registered, according to Alissa Kashiwada, registration manager.
“The program it self has helped me transition back to becoming a student by helping to set me up for my educational journey,” Maria said.