Mohave Community College unveiled several new opportunities that will help students prepare to enter the workforce during and after the pandemic, and help boost economic recovery in the region. 

The announcement was made during two video news conferences that MCC and community colleges across the state held this morning. 

Mohave Community College and six other Arizona community college districts are partnering to help launch Google IT Support Certificates, a new industry-driven competency training option.  Upon completion, students will receive a recognized industry credential that will support employment in Information Technology.

“Students who earn these certificates will be able to immediately enter the workforce as IT professionals,” said MCC Computer Information Systems Instructor. Dr. Fay Cover.

MCC will also be accepting Google’s IT Support Certificate in place of two of its Computer Information Systems courses. Students can present the certificate of completion to receive credit for CIS 153: Networking Essentials and CIS 156: Network Security and Penetration Testing.  

“We feel that the competencies in the certificate match closely to those courses and this certificate will provide the necessary information needed for those courses,” said Peter Burgess, CIS Lead Faculty.  He is also confident that this new opportunity will provide students more options to help them in gain employment.

Dr. Cover also pointed out that many IT jobs can be performed from home, which offers more job security during times such as the current pandemic.

Since the Google certificate courses are $49 per month, students could save hundreds of dollars on their path to an associate and bachelor’s degree.  In the IT industry, like most others, the more education and skills a person has increases their career earning power, said Dr. Cover.

MCC will provide 30 free Google certificates to students who complete the online program.   

The college also announced it recently partnered with Phoenix Truck Driving Institute to provide students with a hands-on experience to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License in just four weeks. 

The new truck driver training program can bring students closer to getting a job in as little as a month. Phoenix Truck Driving Institute courses involves 40 hours in the classroom and the rest of the time behind the wheel of real trucks. The program also assists those who are interesting in endorsements for doubles, triples, tankers and HAZMAT.  

Graduates can also receive job placement assistance. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a need for 100,000 new truck drivers across the country before the year 2028. 

Those interested in the new truck driver training program at MCC can get more information at www.mohave.edu/truck.

MCC also announced that its Surgical Technology program is working closely with the various hospitals and surgical centers in Mohave, La Paz and Yuma Counties. Many graduates from the program end up staying in Mohave County and working at the hospitals, said College Surgical Technology Program Director Michelle Diaz.  

The program recently added a synthetic cadaver that will bring students closer to real world scenarios that they may encounter in the surgery room.  A previous news release with pictures can be found online at www.mohave.edu/synthetic-human.

Diaz, one of the first graduates of the MCC program in 2002, worked in the medical field for more than a decade before returning to the college to help train future surgical technologists, which she said are in high demand across the country.  Graduates from her program boast nearly 100% pass rates on the national board exam. 

Students assist surgeons in the surgery room by sterilizing the room, handing instruments and preparing the operating site. More information is available on the college website www.mohave.edu/surgtech.  

For more information about all of the MCC educational and career training programs, visit www.mohave.edu or call 866-MOHAVECC (866-664-2832). To apply today for free visit https://apply.mohave.edu.