New programs at ISU create unique and profitable opportunities
The Idaho Career & Technical Education agency continued their tech college tour on Tuesday at Idaho State University’s College of Technology, where participants learned about two new programs that aim to bolster the state with highly skilled workers.
Brittney Guinn served six years in the U.S. Navy as a corpsman. While she describes just ‘falling’ into the roll, she also said being a medical specialist helped find her calling.
“I knew I wanted to continue with my education to become a nurse because I love taking care of people,” Guinn said to a room filled with ISU administrators and faculty, ICTE staff, state legislators and education officals.
After enrolling into the college’s Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing program, she said she felt a disconnect because she was in class for things she had already done in the field. But since she entered the Veteran to Nurse program, she has been able to translate her experience in the field into college credits.
“I can show that I actually do know some things and I can apply them. Also, of course, to learn way more. We can always learn way more,” Guinn said.
The Veteran to Nurse program is an extension of the existing Practical Nursing program at ISU. By letting field experience substitute for some coursework, the program helps accelerate a veteran’s progress to a nursing credential.
The other program the ICTE and legislators got to learn about was the Unmanned Aerial Systems program. This is the first semester the program is being offered.
With UAS technologies still growing, the program aims to demonstrate its usefulness in other industries, including civil engineering and agriculture.
“The applications that you can use with UAS is almost endless,” Brandon Miller, a student currently in the program, said. “(For example), in agriculture you can look at the crops.”
Both programs have been helped by state funding advocated from the ICTE. Dwight Johnson, ICTE’s administrator, said programs like these help Idaho stay competitive in technical fields and help strengthen the workforce.
“You have short-term programs where you can actually have really good wages in high-skill, in-demand careers,” Johnson said. “Businesses are begging and crying for that skilled workforce.”
For more information on the programs, click the following:
