Valencia’s new Center for Accelerated Training is a clear step forward in the utility of state colleges – formerly known as community colleges – providing practical income-producing skills to its students. The four- to 20-week training programs include welding, carpentry, clinical medical assisting, forklift maintenance, and finish carpentry. According to Valencia College President Kathleen Plinske, these programs are the result of employer requests for specific skills they are currently unable to hire. The accelerated training format represents appropriate positioning of state colleges in supplementing the work the state university system does in academic studies and will continue to assist Central Florida in offering employers a more diversified and better trained workforce.
Originally posted for the Orlando Sentinel’s Central Florida 100.
Photo: valenciacollege.edu