Community College of Rhode IslandCATC grant ends, center closes doors this summer
The successes tell the story: Corinne Cramer, a single mom, received the free training she needed at RISD to become a Web designer. CCRI graduate Ezenwayi Amaechi helped fund her continuing education at Bryant University. And Heath Maioli, who received assistance toward both a CCRI certificate and associate’s degree, landed a job at NAII in Mansfield based on his excellent skills in microcomputing and networking. None of these successes would have been possible without the guidance and assistance of the Center for Advanced Technology Careers at CCRI.
Since its inception in 2002, the CATC has served as a model of collaboration between Rhode Island’s educational community and its business community. Funded as part of a $2.7 million, multi-year federal grant from the U.S. Dept. of Labor, the CATC center has attempted to connect those interested in information technology careers with the educational resources they need to become skilled and with the job opportunities they need to become employed.
This summer, the grant-funded program housed at the CCRI Warwick campus will complete its mandate and close its doors. CATC Director Vincent Balasco is philosophical about the program, which helped more than 100 clients obtain or retain their employment in the highly volatile IT field. “The bottom line is that people got jobs with CATC’s help,” he says.
The CATC model works this way: public sector assistance agencies and employment centers refer clientele to the center for free aptitude and skill testing. If a client shows an aptitude for IT, then CATC considers the candidates strengths and weaknesses before recommending a training program at one of Rhode Island’s institutions of higher learning, from CCRI to URI to Johnson & Wales and Roger Williams University. Balasco stresses that students are placed in educational programs throughout the state—not just CCRI—even though CATC is housed at the college. “We are committed to fund training at whatever college or university is best suited,” he says.
Educational institutions are not CATC’s only strategic partners. The center’s biggest partner is the Tech Collective, formerly known at the Rhode Island Technology Council, the actual recipient and administrator of the federal grant that funds CATC. The Tech Collective, in turn, has a membership of industry heavy-hitters, including CVS, GTECH, Care New England, and Citizen’s Financial Group. This membership has served as advisors to Balasco and his staff, keeping them apprised of the latest technology demands and the most sought-after employee skills.
In the three years that CATC has been operational, Balasco says, business needs in the IT field have changed dramatically. What was once considered a growth industry for programmers and software engineers is quickly becoming one for customer service specialists and network designers. Employers are also demanding more soft skills from their new hires, a fact which Balasco and his staff took to heart, designing a series of half-day workshops on such topics as listening skills, written communications and team participation. “I wanted our clients to have all the soft skills they needed not only to get the job but to keep it once they got it,” says Balasco.
