Campus provides experienced people in speciality areas
by Michael Kraft, reporter

    (Last in a five-part series on TCC specialty programs)

    SE Campus is home to many degree and certification programs for jobs that need experienced people in semi-conductor manufacturing, environmental technologies, culinary arts and dietetic technology.

    The environmental technologies program, which will be moving to NW Campus in the fall, is geared toward hazardous material (HAZMAT) handling and safety.

    The classes teach students about regulations required and enforced by the Occupational Safety Hazard Association (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT).

    Mike Bright, instructor, quickly pointed out that the classes are not just about cleanup.

    “HAZMAT handling is not only spills. The name of the game is to NOT spill anything in the first place. The students learn to prevent accidents first and foremost,” he said.

    Many jobs do not involve going into the field, but instead focus on hazardous material management, storage, disposal and shipping and receiving.

    “Students learn how to deal with hazardous materials and also with the huge amounts of paperwork that come with the job,” he said.

    Trained HAZMAT people are in high demand from environmental companies to major corporations such as Nokia and Motorola.

    “A lot of things are classified as HAZMAT that you would not consider hazardous,” he said. “Plus, companies need people to interpret regulations and check workplace ergonomics.”

    Once out in the workforce, graduates can expect to make between $28,000-$40,000 annually.

    People with more high-tech aspirations can learn the ins and outs of the semi-conductor manufacturing field, which deals with microprocessors.

    “This field is very lucrative, and I have students hired before they graduate,” Tony Nowrooz, learning lab manager, said.

    “Many students intern to major companies and get hired from that as well,” he said.

    Since the classes are heavily based in math, physics and computers, Nowrooz said a strong math background is important.

    “We deal a lot in formulas, so being good at math certainly helps,” he said.

    The facilities at the campus were developed and funded by Intel and National Semiconductors and are considered the best in the local area. Nowrooz said the lab is state of the art.

    “The equipment here is exactly what students will use in future jobs, so the experience and training is more beneficial,” he said.

    “The future job opportunities are excellent. Students can expect to make more than $40,000 a year when they start,” he said.

    Nowrooz believes the only problem now is that the program is under-exposed.

    “Not a lot of students know about it, but we hope that will change soon,” he said.

    Dr. Janice Boyce coordinates two programs, the dietetic technician program and the culinary arts program.

    The dietetic technician program can be taken either as a two-year Associate in Applied Science degree or as a certificate of completion.

    If taken as a degree, the student has the choice of going to a four-year university or going into a job immediately.

    Both options have advantages. If students complete a four-year degree, they can become fully registered dieticians.

    If they choose to go into the field immediately, they get the benefit of practical experience and wages, Boyce said.

    The field offers jobs in hospitals and assisted living homes such as meal preparation, meal planning, assessment, special diet management, administration and childcare.

    The courses have several options for certificates, including dietary manager, dietetics technician and nutritionist.

    “This is a very successful program,” she said. “The market is very open and new people are needed all the time.”

    With a lucrative job market, TCC has a strong networking program and is linked to the American Dietetic Association and the Fort Worth Dietetic Association.

    The pay is very dependent on where the graduate finds employment.

    “There is a large spread as far as wages, but most graduates start at over $15 per hour and average about $18,” she said.

    The culinary arts program, also coordinated by Boyce, offers many opportunities for the future.

    The courses include food preparation, legal issues, safety and cooking.

    Students in the program cater TCC functions, and Boyce said her students are booked through the fall.

    A lot of safety and health courses are interchangeable with the dietetics course, so Boyce sees a lot of crossover interest in the two.
    “The market is very competitive for experienced people,” she said.

    “Once students get their certificates, they can go on to a four-year school or have a local chef become their mentor or coach and possibly get a job,” she said.

    The DFW area needs experienced chefs, prep people and other types of positions.

    “I get one or two calls per week from people interested in the program, so the demand is there,” she said.

    As with the dietician program, the earnings for culinary arts graduates are dependent on where the person gets a job.

    “A four-star hotel or restaurant would pay much more than a smaller place, but mostly the average entry level is $28,000-$35,000 per year,” she said.

    A related program, hospitality management, is also offered. In this two-year degree program students learn how to manage hotels and restaurants.

    Students learn about food preparation and presentation but mostly about human resources such as hiring and firing, training people and dealing with cultural diversity.

    “People are this industry’s greatest resource,” Meg Morovic, instructor, said.

    “The workplace mirrors the world around it, so people need to understand just how diverse the world is,” she said.

    Morovic worked in the hotel industry for 20 years and said that the work can be difficult at times but is very rewarding.

    The program also offers courses that teach students how to work with travel agencies and plan vacations and to work with reservation computers such as American Airline’s SABRE.

    The program has an excellent network for jobs after the students achieve their degrees.

    “Most students intern at a hotel or restaurant and get work there after they graduate,” she said. “There is no shortage of jobs in this industry, which is one of the fastest growing in the world.”

    Students can travel and get employment all over the world. Morovic said she has one student who now works in Australia.

    The pay scale has about a $10,000 spread for entry-level positions. Students who have the degree but not much experience in the field can earn about $25,000 per year.

    But if students have work experience, such as through internships, they can earn more, as much as $35,000 per year.

    “This is a growing, viable field that just needs more and more good, experienced people,” she said.