Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
Hey, did you hear that Utah added a 10th institution of higher learning? This past summer, the State Legislature approved a bill to create a college focused entirely on offering courses in applied technology. The new institution is known as the Utah College of Applied Technology and will be able to offer courses for high school credit, customized and upgrade training, technical certificates, institutional diplomas and an Associate of Applied Technology Degree.
That means, people who are looking for more specialized or hands-on training can get that along with the accreditation and prestige that a degree of higher learning affords.
In the past, the state’s applied technology centers have been a great resource across a broad range of training areas. The Davis Applied Technology College in Kaysville has gone beyond offering only standard courses and has added courses in many areas to meet industry demand while building cooperative partnerships with industry neighbors like Hill Air Force Base.
These Colleges haven’t just provided learning. They’ve also helped place thousands of students in skilled, high paying jobs. Since the colleges work closely with industry, they are always able to provide the level of instruction that will be required by the employers. This partnership has helped these institutions alter and improve their courses of study.
Now, as separate institutions working under a single unified system, and as a specialized source of higher education, the Utah College of Applied Technology will attract more students because of its benefits. The existing campuses in Kaysville, Logan, Ogden and Roosevelt will continue to offer educational opportunities to high school students along with adult students. According to Michael Bouwhuis, Davis Applied Technology College regional president, the new college will give students across the state the opportunity of a more direct link into some of the jobs that have been difficult to obtain in the past. He said it’s particularly great for high school students who might be looking to get an associate’s degree in a desired discipline without having to spend a lot of time and money. Plus, as has always been the case with the institutions, students can enroll at any time without having to wait for a semester to begin.
State leaders expect the new college will be a boon to business, too. They expect it to draw higher-paying jobs to the state because of the training it will offer.
For Zions Bank, I’m Fred Ball. I’m speaking on business.
