Developing a Future-Proof Arizona Workforce E37
From Flagstaff to Yuma, Arizona is home to numerous educational institutions that are evolving rapidly to keep pace with the state’s tremendous economic growth. Every day, they are rolling out new programs, adding new classes and upskilling their educators to train the manufacturers, engineers, scientists and inventors of tomorrow.
The April 2023 episode of the Arizona Technology Council’s AZTechCast podcast featured experts including Rob Buelow, program director of the AZNext Workforce Development Partnership at ASU; Dr. Daniel Corr, president of Arizona Western College; and Kathy Prather, CEO and superintendent of Pima Joint Technical Education District.
These leaders joined Steve Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council, and Karen Nowicki, president and owner of Phoenix Business RadioX, in discussing their unique approaches to building the highly skilled and diverse workforce of the future.
In this hour-long episode, the panel of three experts defined workforce development and broke down its importance for Arizona’s statewide economic growth. With the influx of companies moving into Arizona, it’s critical that we are building a highly skilled and prepared workforce that can fill needed roles.
They discussed the key stakeholders that play a role in workforce development and mentioned that partnerships between the public and private sector are required to bridge the divide between educational curriculum and the professional skills that will support the technology ecosystem of the future.
While they focused primarily on skill-building for K-12 and higher education students, the panel also touched on the opportunities available for mid-career professionals that are looking to upskill or reskill.
Since AWC was founded in 1963, the public community college has become a vital asset and resource to the communities it serves. Guided by its Strategic Plan, the college seeks to eliminate cultural, financial, time, and place barriers to education; cultivate an agile culture and institutional model that strengthens the future of the region; improve student success by leveraging technology that personalizes the student experience; and grow and sustain academic programs that fuel economic growth and position graduates for prosperity.
Located in the sunny, southwest corner of the state, Arizona Western College supports Yuma and La Paz communities with over 170 degrees and certificates in a wide range of academic and career and technical programs as well as non-credit courses in professional development, customized training, and personal enrichment areas. With 12 different locations and a service area that spans 10,000 square miles, AWC also boasts a diverse international program with students from over 40 different countries.
AWC is exceptionally unique in that it hosts all three state universities on its Yuma campus for face-to-face classes. These partnerships with Northern Arizona University, University of Arizona, and Arizona State University provide seamless transfer pathways to baccalaureate degrees, and beyond, in a variety of high-demand programs, including engineering, secondary education, agriculture, nursing and administration of justice. This effort is in line with the college’s goal of doubling the rate of baccalaureate degrees earned in Yuma and La Paz counties by 2035.
Dr. Daniel P. Corr began his tenure as the ninth President of Arizona Western College (AWC) in July 2016. During his tenure, he has been committed to building on the tremendous success achieved by AWC as an active member of the many communities served by the college.
He has focused his early efforts on facilitating student success, increasing access to higher education, executing the adopted College’s strategic plan, and fostering a climate of innovation, collaboration and stewardship at AWC.
Prior to assuming the role of AWC’s President, Dr. Corr held a variety of instructional and administrative positions at four different community colleges in Arizona & Illinois. All told, he has over 30 years of experience at the community college level.
Dr. Corr has always placed an emphasis on establishing and maintaining partnerships. He also remains committed to being responsive to community business needs.
Dr. Corr serves on a number of local, state, and national boards. However, his greatest passion is for AWC’s students and their success. This focus on student success and community partnerships is why you will hear Dr. Corr exclaim “It is a great day to be a Matador!”.
Connect with Dr. Corr on LinkedIn and follow Arizona Western College on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Pima JTED (Joint Technical Education District) is a public school district in Arizona, one of 14 Arizona Career and Technical Education School Districts. It serves all high school age youth tuition free in our service area that covers over 12,000 miles of Southern Arizona including Pima County and parts of Santa Cruz and Pinal Counties.
Pima JTED works in collaboration with the 14 area member public school districts and it’s tuition-free programs are open to any youth living in the area, whether they attend public, charter, private or are home-schooled. Current year enrollment exceeds 27,000 satellite and central campus students.
Most of the programs offer free dual college credit and all programs offer recognized industry credentials, certificates or licenses and work-based learning opportunities that may include clinical experiences, school-based enterprises, internships or externships. JTED programs strive to offer students the ability to develop skills using state-of-the-art equipment and technologies.
Programs include Licensed Nursing Assistant, Registered Medical Assistant, Engineering, Robotics and Automation, 3-D Animation, Virtual Reality and Game Design, Community Health, Cybersecurity, Construction Technology, Air Transportation FAA Drone Operator, Automotive Technology and many more.
Most of the JTED students go on to post-secondary education combined with direct employment in their desired field.
Kathy Prather became the Superintendent/CEO of Pima JTED on July 1, 2018, one year after being appointed as the district’s Deputy Superintendent.
Her career in education spans 29 years and multiple locations throughout Arizona, including Rough Rock High School, Prescott College, Northwest Pioneer College, Mohave Community College, Mohave High School, Colorado River Union High School District, Tucson Unified School District, and Sunnyside Unified School District.
She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration-Management, a Master of Arts Degree in Vocational Technical Education, and multiple certifications from the Arizona Department of Education including Superintendent, Principal and Career and Technical Education (CTE) Teacher.
Each year, thousands of students in the CTE programs she oversees receive nationally-recognized industry certifications, licenses and credentials as well as dual college credit from Pima Community College and/or concurrent tuition credit from the University of Arizona.
The innovative programs she has developed over the years have captured the attention of local, national and international media including CNN Money in 2016, Korean News Network in 2015, Manufacturing News in 2016, Arizona Public Media-PBS in 2014, District Administrator Magazine in January 2017, Mrs. Green’s World on iHeart Radio and many local network news broadcast features.
The Association for Career and Technical Education of Arizona (ACTEAZ) recognized Kathy’s contributions to CTE with their 2011 Administrator of the Year Award, and again with the 2016 ACTEAZ Lifetime Achievement Award. Kathy served on the Board of the National Council of Local Administrators (NCLA) from 2008-2015 as well as the Executive Board of the Arizona Council of Occupational and Vocational Administrators (ACOVA) from 2006-2014.
Kathy currently serves as a member of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council, the Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Congressman Juan Ciscomani’s Citizen Advisory Council, United Way Cradle to Career Leadership Committee, Metropolitan Education Commission, Pima County Workforce Investment Board, Banner University Medicine Community Advisory Committee, Tucson’s Leading Women, and has previously served on the Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity Tucson and the Southern Arizona Chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness. Greater Tucson Leadership will be named Kathy as Tucson’s Woman of the Year at their Community Impact Awards Event on April 21st, 2023.
Kathy was instrumental in the formation of the Pima County Joint Technological Education District #11, which is now known as Pima JTED. Prior to the JTED Proposition 400 item being listed on the ballot in 2006, she led community forums and made multiple presentations to business, industry and local school district governing boards.
Today, Kathy remains committed to forging mutually beneficial partnerships with business, community, and educational leaders to strengthen Pima JTED’s programs which provide local industry with the skilled workforce they need to thrive. She is actively transforming the culture at Pima JTED to the Growth Mindset to elevate students’ experiences, and employee job satisfaction. One of her top priorities is continuing to develop students’ professional skills so that they are ready to succeed in both college and careers.
Pima JTED continues to bring over $30 million dollars annually in supplemental funding for satellite and central Career andTechnical Education programs in Pima, Santa Cruz and Pinal Counties.
A native of Tucson, Kathy lives with her husband Brad Prather, a retired teacher. They have two grown children, and one granddaughter.
Follow Pima JTED on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
AZNext Workforce Accelerator Partnership at ASU is a U. S. Department of Labor-sponsored program developing a sustainable workforce training infrastructure through paid internships, apprenticeships, train-to-hire programs, boot camps, and simulated work experiences, intended to create talent solutions to meet industry needs.
AZNext works with over 60 industry partners to determine what workforce skills are needed, then uses the resources of ASU to develop training programs to deliver those skills.
The areas of focus for the program are Information Technology, Cybersecurity and Advanced Manufacturing. AZNext creates programs for new hires, as well as upskilling and reskilling programs for incumbent workers.
The goal is to offer these services to unemployed and underemployed individuals, with a special focus on underrepresented communities to provide economic opportunity to those groups as well as improve the diversity of the high tech workforce.
Because we are grant funded, AZNext is able to offer these services at no cost to our participants. And we currently offer over a dozen different training programs open for enrollment right now.
Rob Buelow has spent 2 years as Program Director for AZNext. He joined the program at inception, so led the process of creating and developing the program from the ground floor.
He has over 20 years of aerospace manufacturing industry experience in project and program management, process design and improvement, program implementations, team leadership, and business and customer management.
Rob has a Bachelor of Science in Business Operations, and an MBA from The W. P. Carey School of Business at ASU.
Follow AZNext on LinkedIn and Twitter.
About Your Hosts
Steve Zylstra serves as president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council, a role he assumed in 2007. He is responsible for strategy, operations, finance and policy development. Zylstra is a vocal spokesman for the value technology can provide in raising social and economic standards in Arizona.
Zylstra serves on numerous councils, committees and boards, was named “Leader of the Year, Technology,” by the Arizona Capitol Times, and “Most Admired Leader” by the Phoenix Business Journal. In addition, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of science in technology from the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, Ariz.
Zylstra earned a bachelor’s degree in automotive engineering technology from Western Michigan University.
Karen Nowicki is a successful author, speaker and the creator of Deep Impact Leadership™ and SoulMarks Coaching™. She is a two-time recipient of the prestigious national Choice Award® for her book and personal development retreat. Karen was crowned the first-ever “Mompreneur of the Year” Award in 2010 for the southwestern states. She was recognized for her leadership, business acumen, and work-life balance.
Karen has been an expert guest on regional TV and radio shows, including Fox Phoenix Morning Show, Sonoran Living, Good Morning Arizona, The Chat Room, and Mid-Day Arizona. She has been a regular contributor to many print and online magazines – publishing articles and blogs for business and education.
In addition to working with private coaching clients, Karen is also the Owner & President of Phoenix Business RadioX. The Business RadioX Network amplifies the voice of business – serving the Fortune 500,000, not just the Fortune 500. Phoenix Business RadioX helps local businesses and professional associations get the word out about the important work they’re doing to serve their market, profession, and community.
Of all the experiences Karen has had the privilege of participating in over her vast career, she shares that Phoenix Business RadioX is a pinnacle adventure!
Connect with Karen on LinkedIn and follow Phoenix Business RadioX on Facebook and Instagram.
Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Bianca Buliga is a trilingual first-generation American of Romanian ethnicity. A marketing professional with experience in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, Bianca currently works as Director, Marketing & Communications for the Arizona Technology Council.
Previously, Bianca worked as Marketing Communications Lead at Proctorio, a learning integrity platform that offers remote proctoring software ensuring exam integrity for learners around the world.
Bianca also worked as Senior Marketing Manager at SEED SPOT, a social impact incubator that educates, accelerates, and invests in impact-driven entrepreneurs creating market-based solutions to social problems. In January of 2020, Bianca was selected as an awardee of the Mandela Washington Reciprocal Exchange Program and traveled to the African island of Mauritius to run entrepreneurship programming for 15 impact-driven ecopreneurs on behalf of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Bianca has also completed comprehensive consulting projects for IBM, ESAN Business School, and the Peruvian government, and interned at the Arizona House of Representatives and U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, Romania.
Bianca earned her Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from Northern Arizona University in 2014 and her Master’s degree in Global Affairs and Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in 2017. She is an avid reader, yogi, and world traveler always planning her next trip.
Connect with Bianca on LinkedIn.
About Our Sponsor
The Arizona Technology Council, Arizona’s only statewide organization serving the technology sector, fosters a climate of innovation to enhance technology in Arizona.
A trusted resource in strengthening Arizona’s technology industry, the Council proactively eliminates impediments that companies face, accelerates the entrepreneurial mindset in the state’s expanding innovation ecosystem, and works to create a destination for companies to be, thrive and stay.
Follow Arizona Technology Council on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
