college community - Mt. Hood Community College

e a community assetCommunity College,Community PartnerOne of the most powerful examples ofMHCC’s mission of partnership with thecommunity is the Customized Trainingdepartment within the Economic andWorkforce Development division.These are two words that stand for alot: community college. Most peoplecan readily visualize the “college”part…a campus, students takingclasses from faculty, earning degrees.It’s the “community” part that is lessclear—probably because it covers somuch ground, lots of services andpartnerships, a variety of opportunitiesand means many things to manypeople. One of the strongest andmost effective of those communitypartnerships is all about making thepeople and businesses of our regionmore skilled, more competitive andmore successful. In a nutshell, that’sthe Customized Training department.It provides instruction in arange of areas, from computer systemsto on-the-job safety to industryspecifictopics.“We up-skill workers, with the goalof a better workforce to serve theneeds and fuel the success of localbusiness and industry,” explainsMarc Goldberg, dean of Economicand Workforce Development. “Thisis where serving students andsupporting the needs of businessesintersect. The department becomesthe eyes and ears of MHCC whenit comes to the type of skilledworkforce that’s needed and whatkinds of efforts and programs willget us there.”When it comes to powering employers’workforces with new skills andopportunities, MHCC provides continuingeducation and customizedtraining to support professional development,licensure and assist businesseswith their workforce needs.“We take pride in being responsiveand receptive to our customers, whoare our students, regional businessesand the entire community,” saysJarrod Hogue, manager of workforcedevelopment. “We can quickly builda course or training program to filla need.”Hogue manages a team of threeworkforce training coordinators, eachof whom serves a sector of the localeconomy. Robert Weinman workswith manufacturers; Paul Wildserves healthcare; and Dawn Loomismhcc’s WORKFORCE PARTNERSHIP TEAMLeft to right are Paul Wild, Dawn Loomis,Jarrod Hogue and Robert Weinman