Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By TOM LAVENTURE
Ironwood — The Gogebic Community College Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved the creation of an Upper Peninsula Certified Nurse Aide Academy (UP CNA).
The decision will provide a full-time trainer for the program focusing on the Houghton campus, said Glen Ackerman-Behr, director of workforce development at GCC. There are opportunities for CNA training in Ironwood but there is more demand in the Houghton County area, he said.
In Gogebic County the CNA training is offered at GCC, through the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District, at Gogebic Medical Care Facility and other places. In Hancock and Houghton County there is a real need for a full time trainer to provide more on-and-off-campus classes as a CNA Academy, he said.
“In Ironwood the programs are OK,” Ackerman-Behr said. “There is a real need at the Houghton campus and with most of the employers we have talked with in that region.”
During the presentation to the GCC Board, Nicole Rowe, director of Allied Health at GCC, said the program currently has a part time instructor who is also a working nurse. Part time instructors are challenged with work conflicts and would not be able to dedicate even more time for the new program, she said.
Another demand for a CNA Academy in a low population area is that demand is not always consistent. The program would need to allow people to enter at several points throughout the year, she said.
The full time trainer will create a year-long training schedule and will provide additional training topics, Rowe said. The employers help sustain the program through recruiting and sponsoring candidates at reduced to cost to the anticipated $7,100 total cost per student.
The academy will increase the number of training seats from 40 to over 190, she said. The 120 hour course would includes 56 classroom hours, 24 lab hours and 40 clinical hours.
The CNA training demand is an issue nationwide, Ackerman-Behr said. Employers are saying it isn’t cost-effective to provide on their own and
Michigan Works! was instrumental in collaborating with area employers regarding program input and participation, he said.