Two new programs were recently added at Mid Michigan College aimed at providing students with a quick and affordable route to an entry level position in high-demand fields.
Prospective students of Mid Michigan College now have two new options for short-term professional development. The dental assistant and direct support professional programs were added to provide the local residents with the opportunity to quickly complete a training program in fields experiencing rapid job growth. The two additions bring the total of short-term professional development programs offered by MMC to seven, ranging from phlebotomy, to dental assisting, to commercial trucking. Programs cost anywhere from $300 to $4,300 with multiple sessions available each year.
In an update published by Mid Michigan College in January, course offerings are listed including session dates. The two new programs have start dates in February and March for the direct support professional program taking place in Mt. Pleasant and in June and September for the dental assistant program taking place in Gladwin. Administrators at MMC say that they pay close attention to trends in employment when determining new programs to add. As explained by Kristine Stevens, Director of Business & Industry Training at Mid Michigan College, "Many of the careers connected to Mid's Short-Term Training are ranked among the fastest growing occupations by the Bureau of Labor Statistics."
The dental assistant training is a 100 hour program in which students learn about the history of dentistry, anatomy of the mouth, and about a variety of dental procedures and what role the dental assistant plays in the office. The direct support professional training teaches students what they need to know to work in a variety of settings helping patients with everyday activities such as bathing, dressing, and meal preparation. Those who complete the program can find work at assisted care facilities or with companies that provide in-home care to the elderly or to adults with physical or intellectual disabilities.
Local online news outlet, Epicenter, published an article recently in which Scott Govitz, Associate Vice President of Workforce & Economic Development at MMC elaborated on the way in which Mid Michigan College responds to the needs of local residents and employers, "With short-term training, an individual may have never been in a higher learning situation before. Or they lost their job and are looking for a new career. Or they're looking for an entry-level opportunity to the career that they specifically want...Our goal is to create programs that are relevant to our business, industry, and healthcare partners."