WATERVILLE – A milestone was reached this year when Mid-Maine
Technical Center completed the process of attaining full state or national
certification for each of the programs it offers.
The 12 programs and the 42 certifications they include now
meet rigorous standards that are recognized as measures of quality by the
industries that will eventually employ the Center’s successful students.
“We’re probably the only technical school in the state that
has all of its programs certified,” Technical Center Director Mark Powers
said. “And we’re probably one of only a few in the Northeast and the
country.”
The final program to receive certification was Computer Aided
Drafting, which was certified by the American Design Drafting Association
this spring. The program might have received certification sooner, but it is
one of the newer programs at the technical center and a two-year waiting
period was required before it could qualify, Powers said.
The benefits of offering certified programs are great, Powers
said.
“It ensures that we have quality programs that are meeting the skill
standards that industries are requiring, and the other big thing is that it
gives us the opportunity to certify our students with industry-recognized
credentials,” Powers said.
Mid-Maine Technical Center is also in the process of
establishing dual enrollment agreements with Kennebec Valley Community
College in Fairfield and Central Maine Community College in Auburn so that
Mid-Maine TECH students can earn college credits, and program certification
helps that process, Powers said.
“The other plus that program certification gives our school
is that our teachers are required to meet certain standards and make sure
that they keep themselves current with changes in the industry,” Powers
said.
The Center plans to seek certification for any additional programs it adds
in the coming years to maintain the standards of excellence it set when it
first launched the effort to achieve full certification more than five years
ago, Powers said.
The list of programs and the agencies certifying their
various courses include:
*Auto Body Repair, certified by the National Automotive Technicians
Education Foundation (NATEF).
*Automotive Technology, certified by NATEF and the State of Maine.
*Computer Aided Drafting, certified by the American Design Drafting
Association.
*Computer Technology, certified by CompTIA.
*Construction Technology, certified by the National Center for Construction
Education and Research (NCCER).
*Culinary Arts, certified by the American Culinary Federation and the
National Restaurant Association.
*Early Childhood Occupations, certified by the National Association for the
Education of Young Children and the American Red Cross.
*Electrical Technology, certified by NCCER and the State of Maine.
*Emergency Services, certified by Maine EMS and Kennebec Valley Community
College, and Maine Fire Training and Education.
*Graphic Communications, certified by the Graphic Arts Education and
Research Foundation .
*Health Occupations, certified by the State of Maine and the American Red
Cross.
*Precision Machining, certified by the National Institute for Metalworking
Skills.