Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) has been named Georgia’s first National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3) Leadership School.
All GNTC program areas with applicable NC3 certifications are encouraged to participate, said Jon Byrd, executive director of Aviation at GNTC and Technical College System of Georgia state aviation adviser.
“The NC3 curriculum is industry-driven and is constantly monitored and updated,” Byrd said. “We have found in aviation that the curriculum easily just falls in to our existing FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)-approved course standards. Some industry partners provide specialty curriculum and training. While some of the NC3 curriculum and certification process is tailored toward the appropriate NC3 industry partner, the skills and techniques taught and learned are not limited to just one vendor or particular piece of equipment.”
“We are very proud of the faculty who are embracing the opportunity to add these certifications to GNTC programs and expand the nationally-recognized certifications available to GNTC students,” said Jennifer Loudermilk, associate vice president of Academic Affairs at GNTC.
Approximately 13 faculty members have a combined total of 160 total certifications, and GNTC has issued more than 800 NC3 credentials to students, Loudermilk said.
Certifications can be used in workforce development and training, as well as fast track training. NC3 stackable certifications are designed to integrate into an existing technical program, standalone and/or be utilized for workforce development training, according to NC3. Students are introduced to kinesthetic learning opportunities and industry-valued competencies while they learn relevant job-ready skills.
NC3 certifications can be used across various Career and Technical Education program areas including aviation, construction science and energy efficiency, digital literacy, health and safety, horticulture, manufacturing, transportation and welding. NC3 certifications also include STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math.
“There are many departments and areas at GNTC that our involvement with NC3 could greatly benefit instructors and their students,” Byrd said. “Before instructors can teach the NC3 curriculum to their students, they must attend a national NC3 instructor professional development training to learn how to deliver the curriculum and become certified themselves before they can be approved to offer training and certification to their students.”
Manufacturers supporting NC3 certifications include Snap-on Inc., Trane, Thermo King, 3M, Festo, Lincoln Electric, Greenlee, Copeland, RIDGID, Kubota Tractor Corp., L.S. Starrett Co., Daniels Manufacturing Corp., Palmer Hamilton, Tormach, Dremel, Swift and Certiport.
Scottie Carter, program director, assistant dean and instructor of Electrical Systems Technology at GNTC, offers more than 20 NC3 certifications to students. Carter said he is also an NC3 Master Instructor for Greenlee and RIDGID through NC3; he has been offering certifications for about seven years, and GNTC’s Electrical Systems lab was one of the first Green Apple labs in America.
Currently, GNTC offers 34 industry certifications with more to come, Carter said. Two more will be added soon. GNTC offers certifications supported by Festo, Greenlee, RIDGID, Snap-on and Starrett.
GNTC’s Aviation Maintenance Technology program is just one area that will benefit by teaching students the NC3 curriculum and certifications. Students can earn up to five hand tool identification and safety certifications (Snap-on); one certification on digital multimeters (Snap-on); up to five certifications for mechanical and electronic torque tools/instruments (Snap-on); at least one certification for electrical introduction, measurements and circuits (Snap-on); up to six certifications for precision measurement instruments (Snap-on and Starrett); one certification for structural sheet metal assembly (Snap-on); and one certification for precision electrical termination (Daniels Manufacturing and Snap-on).
There is an outlined list of criteria schools must meet to become an NC3 Leadership School.
Byrd and Carter serve as GNTC’s two NC3-assigned campus liaisons.
NC3 is “a value-driven organization and the future model for Career and Technical Education, creating highly-skilled, job-ready professionals through a growing network of educational partners and global industry leaders,” according to NC3’s website. The organization’s mission is to train and educate future skilled workers for productive careers.
According to NC3, “the NC3 certification or ‘stamp of approval’ is nationally recognized as the standard for certifications and workforce development.” NC3 has more than 1,750 members globally, including secondary and post-secondary institutions, as well as business and industry members. NC3 has supported thousands of students and completed more than 500,000 industry-driven stackable certifications.
NC3 was established to help build a workforce prepared to meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s industries by connecting employers and educational institutions in synergistic partnerships that foster effective training, elevation of skilled careers and employment opportunities. In fulfilling its mission, NC3 builds deep industry-educational partnerships, and develops, implements and sustains industry-recognized portable certifications built on national skills standards. It envisions an industrial labor market where all workers have jobs that they need to thrive and all companies have well-trained employees that they need to operate and grow. Learn more at www.nc3.net.