Work-based learning programs foster hands-on learning in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — With its significant recent growth in industry, Moses Lake is also seeing increasing opportunities for work-based learning and workforce development, such as Sila Nanotechnologies’ partnership with local schools, alongside traditional educational options like Columbia Basin Job Corps Center. 

Sila’s Moses Lake Plant Manager Rosendo Alvarado spoke about the partnership Sila signed earlier this year with both Big Bend Community College and Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center.

“We're starting from the standpoint of getting the new program implemented into each of the different schools,” he said. “The two schools already have programs that are very good and programs that teach some of the kids. It could be welding, it could be electrical, it could be modeling or coding, things of that nature. And what we're doing is we're trying to enhance that by adding tools and curriculum into those programs.”

Alvarado said the work-based learning opportunities will expand after the first year of implementation.

“We work with the staff to implement industrial manufacturing training for those kids. The idea is that we would buy equipment and develop the curriculum by the books and things of that nature that would teach them how to understand manufacturing from different levels,” he said. “There's entry-level, and then once you get past the entry-level, there's the operations level, and the operations level becomes a little bit more technical because the individual would be responsible for operating equipment and working with highly hazardous chemicals and things of that nature.”

Alvarado said the program will likely develop in the future to host students at the Sila plant for even more hands-on training. 

“The goal is to start providing the development for manufacturing and provide the skill set,” he said, “so that it could either be a student coming straight out of high school would have basic skills for these entry-level positions, or the operations positions, or if they want, with Big Bend we're working on the implementation of programs with them.”

The program will qualify students to work at Sila.

“They can gain a certificate that basically certifies them in the basic training that we provide for manufacturing operations,” Alvarado said. 

The program is about more than just certification, Alvarado said. 

“What we want to do for Moses Lake and the community, to me is the biggest piece of it,” he said. “The Columbia Basin has a lot of these small, rural areas that don't have the same type of opportunities. Obviously, we're starting here in Moses Lake, and that's where we're at, but the biggest thing is that we are able to reach out throughout the Columbia Basin to provide opportunities … There's opportunity for people to get involved and develop skills that are necessary to get into this market, and then furthermore, they can make a really good living with the wages that these jobs are paying and then have that opportunity to spread that throughout their communities.”

The Columbia Basin Job Corps Center, one of 121 Job Corps locations around the country, offers a more traditional route for work-based learning and technical education. Liaison Specialist Susan Mann talked about what the center does in Moses Lake.

“We partner with employer partners in the community. Our primary example is for our medical training program on our campus,” she said. “Our (Certified) Nursing Assistant and our pharmacy tech programs, for licensing purposes we have mandatory, they are called clinical hours, but they're still under the same work-based learning model, where they have spent time in the classroom, studying, training, preparing to go into the workforce.”

The next step is to send the students to an actual workplace in Moses Lake.

“Our partner for our CNA program is Summer Wood Alzheimer's Care Facility, and that is for our CNA students and they go and get their hours that are required by the state for their hands-on training before they take their skills test for their state licensing,” Mann said. “And then (Moses Lake) Professional Pharmacy is our clinical site for our pharmacy tech program.”

Mann outlined what specific programs the center offers.

“Here at Columbia Basin, we have 10 basic training programs. Five are construction-based, the others are like medical, hospitality, information technology,” she said. “We are an income-based program, but we do have workarounds on that. It's easier to get meet our qualifications, versus like the (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to get to community college. Our age (range) is 16-24 and then lastly, they do have to pass a background check and be work ready.”

Mann highlighted the importance of hands-on training. 

“Ideally, all of our students would have a 40-hour work-based learning experience as part of their curriculum at Job Corps,” she said.

    Aviation maintenance technology students work on aircraft at Big Bend Community College, an example of hands-on technical training.