Our Community and Technical Colleges need YOU!

By KAIRIE PIERCE

We need you! The Washington State Labor Council, the M.L. King, Jr. County Labor Council, and the Community and Technical Colleges of Washington state need you!

College advisory committees need the expertise and input of real workers as colleges design new professional/technical programs, modify existing programs, or continue current programs. It is the input of people like you that ensures these programs are grounded in the real world of work.

You might think, “Sure I would love to help, but I don’t have the time.”

Oh, but you do. These committees are only required to meet two to three times a year for about an hour and a half. The time commitment is minimal and at some colleges committee members may be able to participate remotely by calling in or video conferencing.

Here are some examples of the college advisory committees that currently need volunteer participants:

Bellevue College — Health Unit Coordinator

Big Bend Community College – Computer Science and CDL

Cascadia Community College — BIT Network Tech., BIT Web Applications

Clark College – Machining and Welding

Everett Community College – Aviation and Advanced Manufacturing

Green River Community College — Court Reporter

Lake Washington Institute of Technology — Automotive Repair

North Seattle Community College — Pharmacy Tech.; Medical Ass’t

Peninsula College — Composites, Criminal Justice

Renton Technical College — Medical Ass’t; Dental Ass’t

Seattle Central Community College — Social & Health Services; Respiratory Therapist

Shoreline Community College — Manufacturing

Skagit Valley Community College– Welding

South Seattle Community College — Wine Academy; Auto Collision

Whatcom Community College – Worker Retraining and Criminal Justice

If a community or technical college in your area isn’t listed above or if you have expertise in an industry not mentioned, we still need you!

Labor’s voice is vital to ensure that college students — future union  members! — have the training and skills they need to get good family-wage jobs. Participating on advisory committees is a very grassroots, stay-involved, everyone-wins volunteer opportunity for union members.

For more information, please contact me at (360) 570-5167 or at kpierce@wslc.org  If you are in King County or want to volunteer your talents within the King County area, feel free to contact Joan Weiss at (206) 441-8048 ext. or  jweiss@wc-kclc.org.

We can answer all of your questions, help you identify the available volunteer opportunities that are right for you, and explain how to apply to serve in these important, rewarding positions. Please contact us today!

Kairie Pierce is College/K-12 Apprenticeship Director for the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO.