EITC holds Legislature tour
Education was on everyone’s mind as state legislators toured Eastern Idaho Technical College (EITC) Monday (10/10).
The Idaho Career and Technical Education and the Idaho Chamber Alliance partnered up for a statewide legislative tour.
Students from each department were able to represent their programs and show the progress for the school from last year’s funding.
Director of College Relations Todd Wightman said the tour really helped the technical college get on the map because they were able to showcase the programs offered and last year’s progress as a result of the funding.
“We’re kind of a hidden gem in Idaho, this little college that we have here, and there’s a lot of opportunities for people. The most important part was including our students, where they can share their experiences and their successes, here at EITC,” Wightman said.
Legislators like Wendy Horman, State Administrator Dwight Johnson and Idaho State Representative Jeff Thompson were among those who attended.
Wendy Horman, who works in education budgeting, said she is pleased after the $3.6 million dollars went to good use.
“It was very informative. Very Rewarding to see that some of the investments we made as a state last year are really paying off over in this building with opportunities for students, that they would not otherwise have had,” Idaho House of Representative Horman said.
Radiation safety student Brock Robison said his major sparked an interest in him and he thought it was too big of an opportunity to pass.
“Hearing that it was a 10-month program and that it was a 100% placement, starting at $30 an hour, I was like ‘you can’t beat that’, you know what I mean. Going anywhere else for other programs, you’re in there for a long time,” Robison said.
Robison also said he is happy to be apart of EITC and believes he is in the right place.
“Seeing the other students explain their programs that they’re in and how excited about the field they’re going into kind of gave me a broader view of how EITC can help people like me,” Robison said.
Looking ahead, Todd Wightman said he hopes that a year from now, EITC will become a community college.
“I think this is a great time to look at the opportunity and hopefully, the community will decide to go with the community college because it’s time. It’s time that we move forward and provide opportunities for our area,” Wightman said.
If you missed the summit Monday’s, you can still join the legislators and students at the technical college from 7:45 a.m to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, October 11.
