business backgrounder | education & workforce
“Spokane Valley Tech, and programs like it around the
state, can help bridge that gap, graduating students
that are job-ready, prepared for trade school training
or a four-year degree.”
— Amy Anderson, AWB government affairs director for education issues
and head of the AWB Institute
growing the program, employer engagement
Garnering the support and engagement of employers in and around the Spokane
region is something the school is working to magnify.
The biggest boost employers can give SVT students is offering internships.
“The internships are a really big thing. They give you a bridge to the real world
and the practical knowledge you need to be successful,” Anderson said.
That message needs to get out.
“If we can have students from the program like Greg explaining what he’s
done, then it will begin to gain more traction,” said Bitz. “I don’t think our school
is the only school doing something like this, but it really is solving real-world
problems in a job-like environment, something employers appreciate when
hiring a young person.”
Bitz encourages employers to reach out to him or other SVT instructors to
learn more about the programs, tour the school and find out how they play a part
in the success of the future workforce.
Now full circle, Anderson is in the market for a new internship to build on his
college coursework — this time in the aerospace engineering and manufacturing
field, somewhere like Boeing or a defense firm.
And, he’s definitely not alone.
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“Instead of just hearing a teacher talk about something, you actually get to learn from the ground up.”
— Greg Anderson, former student, Spokane Valley Tech
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spring 2016 45