4 minute read
Building Pathways: How Snow College is Addressing Training Needs in our Communities
By Kenley Steck
From its humble beginnings in Ephraim as the Sanpete Stake Academy in 1888 to the acquisition of Richfield’s Sevier Valley Tech in 1998, Snow College has always worked to serve the needs of the local community. Many have asked, where does Snow College go next? The answer is: wherever we are needed! In recent years, that means expansion into Nephi, Delta, and Kanab.
In 2021, Snow leadership was approached by leaders of Central Valley Medical Center (CVMC), located in Nephi, Utah. They expressed the need for training closer to them to help fill ongoing positions in the medical center. To facilitate this, they offered the use of a small building on their recently renovated medical campus that Snow could use to host classes. In addition to healthcare classes such as CNA and EMT, they encouraged Snow to consider more learning opportunities as well.
Snow put together a team to learn what additional resources would be helpful. The people of Nephi were asking for more business training, and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the Continuing Education program were identified as natural partners to best fill that need.
"Training local residents to fill high-demand, high-wage positions in the community is a responsibility we take very seriously"
After months of work putting together proposals and finalizing details, the Nephi Learning Center, in partnership with CVMC, was officially ready on August 4, 2022. The center would be home to Snow’s CNA and EMT programs, with space for the SBDC to meet with clients, conduct community outreach, and hold classes. Since that time, the Nephi Learning Center has been used for things such as Excel and leadership trainings, the startup of the Juab Manufacturer’s Association, and is the home to a medical assisting program and an electrical apprenticeship program.
Of the Nephi Learning Center, President Stacee Y. McIff said, “We are thrilled to expand training opportunities to Juab County residents. Training local residents to fill high-demand, high-wage positions in the community is a responsibility we take very seriously. Thanks to a generous partnership with [CVMC], we are able to serve a broad population looking to upskill or change career paths.”
In anticipation of future needs in Nephi, Snow College approached the legislature with a land bank request to secure property near CVMC. That request was funded. Since that time, many individuals have been working on a plan for the future of Snow College in Nephi. The school has stressed that the plan is not to push programing into Nephi, but rather to listen to community partners and identify needs. Administrators from Snow are meeting with key stakeholders in Nephi to work on what Snow College’s presence in Nephi will look like. This includes partners from the Juab School District, economic development, city officials, and industry partners. The goal is to create the best possible educational pathways tailored to Juab County and others who will come. Brent Boswell, Juab County Economic Development director, said, “We know that Snow College is very committed to meeting the education and business development needs in Juab County and we are very appreciative of that fact. We feel that support coming from the President’s Office down to the wonderful staff that are in our communities every time we need assistance.”
Nephi wasn’t the only community in the Snow College service area that requested additional resources to help fill training needs. Great Lakes Cheese in Fillmore, Utah, expressed the need for additional training opportunities for their workforce. Snow College used grant funding to bring an office trailer to place on land owned by the Millard School District at the CTE building in Delta. The trailer now houses equipment for the Automation Technology program. Students from Millard and Juab can do their classwork online, then visit the Delta Training Site to pass off their newly learned skills. These skills prepare them for jobs offered by one of the region’s largest employers.
Also, due to the large demand but lack of proximity to campus, Snow College was asked to build a cosmetology program in Kanab. Two local instructors were hired and a preschool building was remodeled to make this opportunity happen. Students can earn a cosmetology certificate, then bring those credits earned to Snow College and continue toward a degree, if they choose.
These growth opportunities help Snow College fulfill its mission, where it “continues a tradition of excellence, encourages a culture of innovation, and cultivates an atmosphere of engagement to advance students in the achievement of their educational goals.” The school will continue to respond to the needs of our service area and looks forward to providing educational opportunities wherever possible.
