Going with the market: Platt College degrees reflect industry needs

By: Brian Brus
Posted on the Journal Record at 08:50 PM, Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Shelly Bennitt, Platt College MLT
coordinator, and student Morgan Mears.
(Photo by Maike Sabolich)

OKLAHOMA CITY – New degrees introduced at Platt College reveal the interests and needs of the job market in central Oklahoma and affirm the relevance of such private schools in the current economy, Executive Director Mollie Hager said.

“Some of our students aren’t cut out for a traditional university environment,” she said. “Our new medical laboratory technician program is a 14-month program. A lot of our students don’t have four years to spend somewhere and they need to get it done. … We try to adapt and grow as the industry grows and offer courses that local students need. These came about from extensive market research and industry feedback.”

The medical lab technician associate degree program will begin this month at the private vocational school’s campuses in Moore, north Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Dallas; the degree program in network systems administration and security will also begin this month at the Dallas campus and will take 12 to 18 months to complete.
Platt College and others like it are steeped in an alphabet soup of educational organizations and certifications intended to validate the value of their programs. Platt is licensed by the Oklahoma Board of Private Vocational Schools, or OBPVS, and accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology, or ACCSCT, which in turn is recognized by the U.S. Education Department. The OBPVS was established by the state Legislature in 1970 and authorized to set minimum standards for private vocational schools, including standards for classes and training qualifications of instructors.

Platt is also approved for training by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Job Training Partnership Act, the State Accrediting Agency for the training of eligible veterans, and veterans eligible for vocational rehabilitation. The school recently applied for recognition from the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences, the agency that oversees medical lab technician programs. That accreditation would mean that Platt graduates can sit for certification exams through the American Society for Clinical Pathology, Hager said.

“That will provide a lot of value to our students. It’s not required for them to find work, but it will provide better opportunities in the industry,” Hager said.

Phil Berkenbile, director of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, said the state’s career-technology schools also design their programs or courses according to industry’s ever-evolving demands. The department oversees the state’s technology centers but does not grant degrees or have any authority over the Oklahoma Board of Private Vocational Schools that licenses Platt, Berkenbile said.

“We’re seeing a lot of programs in the aerospace industry that are getting ready to shift to composites away from sheet metal, and that’s a biggie,” Berkenbile said. “At Tinker, they’re always bringing in the big tankers and repairing them with sheet metal, but at the same time some of your new fighter jets are composites. You can’t teach both skills at the same time, so we’ve got some schools that are transitioning into one from the other.

“It’s a steady transition over the years, but it’s also what the customer needs,” he said. “We used to have a lot of carpentry and plumbing programs. Now we have construction academies where a student will also learn concrete and masonry, packaging additional skills to enhance the likelihood of a student getting a job.”

Hager said every change at Platt begins with market research to determine what programs are needed. That involves reviewing U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and bringing local industry experts to advisory board meetings each year.

For example, according to U.S. News and World Report, laboratory technician is among the 50 best careers in 2011 and should experience better than average job growth in the next 10 years. And the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 53-percent growth in available jobs in the field of information technology between 2008 and 2018.

When Hager took her position at Platt in 1997, one of the two campuses at the time had programs in heating and air conditioning, graphic design, automotive repairs and nursing. Since then the school has added culinary, health care and cosmetology courses.

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Since 1979, Platt College exists with one purpose; to create a workforce of professionals with the skills and training necessary to answer the needs of today's and tomorrow's workplace. The college is located in Tulsa, Moore, Lawton, Central and North Oklahoma City as well as in Dallas, Texas. For more information call 405-946-7799 or visit www.plattcolleges.edu.

Platt College adds Two New Degree Programs Preparing Students to Meet Expected Job Growth

Oklahoma City, OK – June 9, 2011 Platt College, known for its allied health and culinary programs, has added two new associate degree programs designed to prepare students for growing job opportunities in medical laboratories and for the ever-expanding field of information technology.

“Since our programs are designed to prepare our graduates to answer the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s workforce, these two new programs are great additions to the Platt College line up,” said Mike Pugliese, President of Platt College. “We have done extensive research to insure job opportunities in these fields and our curriculum has been designed to provide the skills, hands-on experience and academic discipline to prepare our students for the job.”

The Medical Laboratory Technician program will begin on June 27 at Platt’s campuses in Moore, North OKC, Tulsa and Dallas and will take approximately 14 months to complete. The Associate of Science degree in Network Systems Administration and Security will begin on June 27 at Platt’s Dallas campus and will take 12-18 months to complete.

According to the U.S. News and World Report, laboratory technician is among the 50 best careers in 2011 and should experience better than average job growth in the next 10 years.

“Medical Laboratory Technicians play a vital role in providing the physician with accurate and timely results of laboratory tests. That's what the physician uses to determine the correct diagnosis and treatment plan,” explained Kim Lamb, director of admissions at Platt College.

Graduates from Platt’s Medical Laboratory Technician program will possess skills to perform laboratory tests and related duties in accordance with standardized laboratory practices in clinical chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, clinical microbiology, immunohematology and serology/immunology with the supervision of a medical technologist. Upon completion of the program, the student will have the ability to perform proficiently on laboratory testing procedures, think critically and communicate effectively. The program will also prepare the student for entry-level employment in clinical and reference laboratories or physician's offices as medical laboratory technicians.

Platt’s placement services will assist students in obtaining jobs in hospital laboratories, public health laboratories, reference laboratories, biomedical companies, universities, industrial medical laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, forensic medicine, and the armed forces.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts a 53% growth in available jobs in the field of information technology between 2008-2018. To help meet the need, Platt College in Dallas has added a computer lab and has lined up a first-class team of instructors to teach the Network Systems Administration and Security program.

The new lab includes a cutting edge Technology Center with high end Dell Computers, HP Blade Server with Cisco Switch and Routers. Students will be working with the latest software and the A+ Certification courses include a full PC Kit that the student will build and take home.

The program has been designed to provide students with basic and intermediate networking skills required to design, install, configure, and maintain a variety of networks as well as protect networks using established security concepts and strategies. The combination of technical and general education courses helps to prepare graduates for the complexities of the workplace which requires both technical skills as well as an understanding of business functions, human behavior, problem solving, and effective communication in a technical environment.

Upon graduation, students will be assisted by Platt’s placement team in finding employment in entry-level positions as network administrators, computer or technical support specialists, help desk technicians, and computer systems administrators where there is a strong emphasis on network security.

Platt’s Dallas location is offering both day and evening programs for students wanting to obtain this degree. The day program can be completed in 12 months and the evening program takes 18 months.

About Platt College: Platt College is one of Oklahoma's largest private colleges with campuses in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Moore, Lawton and Dallas. Since 1979, it has focused on creating professionals with the skills and training to meet the needs of today and tomorrow's workplace. Because students at Platt College combine academic discipline with hands-on experience in their chosen fields, employers have the assurance that graduates will be adequately prepared and will possess valuable experience. For more information, visit www.plattcolleges.edu.

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Since 1979, Platt College exists with one purpose; to create a workforce of professionals with the skills and training necessary to answer the needs of today's and tomorrow's workplace. The college is located in Tulsa, Moore, Lawton, Central and North Oklahoma City as well as in Dallas, Texas. For more information call 405-946-7799, or visit www.plattcolleges.edu.