Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM August 2017 | Page 17

How COM Students Graduate With Diplomas – and Job Offers By: Rebecca Sauer Communications Coordinator College of the Mainland [email protected] The first male in his family to graduate from high school, Curtis Ward, of Texas City, enrolled in COM’s Process Technology Program. He soon landed an internship at Marathon Petroleum Galveston Bay Refinery.   “I had three job offers before graduation,” said Ward, who earned a two-year degree in process technology and is working at Marathon.   Ward is one of the many COM students who find that their best opportunities don’t happen in a classroom but in  boundless opportunities through COM’s internships, clinicals, professors with decades of experience and college partnerships.   “COM professors prepared me,” said Ward, who is also working toward a bachelor’s in chemical engineering.   Clinicals:  For COM Health Information Management Program graduate Natalia Green, clinicals in medical coding led to a job in the health care field.   “A manager at University of Texas Medical Branch noticed I was doing a good job and offered me a job,” said Green, who works as a medical coder. “We code diagnoses so the hospital is reimbursed for treatment. After coding, we send files to the billing department. You have to be able to work on your own and detail-oriented.”   Green and other students rotated through several types of health care facilities to observe firsthand which fit their interests.   “As the field grows, there are opportunities; you can work in a clinic or hospital,” said Green.   Experienced professors: COM industrial education students learn from 18 industrial education instructors’ combined 567 years of work experience.  That pays off for students who learn through instructors’ stories and examples gleaned from an average of 31.5 years on the job.   “Teaching provides an opportunity to share what I know and love. This allows me to express my experiences, lessons learned and their application to my students,” said instructor Ernesto Martinez, who has 24 years’ experience in the air-conditioning field.    Business and industry partnerships:  Preparing students to succeed in the workplace starts with asking employers what they value in employees. In COM workforce programs, instructors have created advisory boards of professionals to do just that.   In the COM Graphic/Web Design Program, representatives Del Papa, Moody Gardens and Santa Fe ISD and other local organizations come once a year to talk about trends in an ever-changing field.   “These advisory committees build opportunities for students,” said graphic design instructor Coleena Jackson, adding that often representatives hire students for internships. “They tell me what skill set they expect of an entry-level employee.”   In the Medical Assistant Program, instructors and individuals working in hospitals and clinics convene to discuss medical best practices and needed skills in employees.   “I like giving my feedback from an employer's point of view, what we’re looking for. I want to do something to continue to improve the program,” said advisory board member and COM graduate Reshmi Dutt, who works for the University of Texas Medical Branch.   Stackable credentials:  Many COM programs have certificates that le