By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Fort Hays State University, NCK Tech and Northwest Tech are nearing final approval for their affiliation agreement and are now working with a consultant and the Kansas Congressional delegation to secure funds for workforce development.
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., was visiting FHSU on Tuesday for the groundbreaking of the Forsyth Library renovation. He met with the presidents of the two technical colleges and FHSU and a consultant about federal grants that could help fund affiliation initiatives.
"I think it is really important that we educate every Kansas student we can," Moran said. "We want them to stay in state to go to college, to go to technical college, to go to community college, to go to a university. ...
"A better thing would be that when they have that degree or that certificate, they have a job here."
Moran said the focus should be matching community and business needs with education and workers. He said that is the key to keeping our kids in Kansas.
Statewide, Kansas needs health care and mental health care workers, he said.
"Each of these institutions, it's important for them to find out what the needs are for their hometown and of their community, of western Kansas and the state and see how they can meet those needs through the educational process and give that kid a job at home," Moran said.
Moran said Panasonic choosing Kansas was an example of a business that recognized Kansas's valuable resources.
"The greatest challenge we have in answering the door of those who are knocking is do we have a workforce that can meet those companies' needs," he said.
"If a business is coming here and creating jobs, the first thing we need to do is create a workforce they know has trained individuals that will meet their needs, or we [need to] have educational institutions that can move rapidly enough to meet the needs."
Moran said federal programs and funding are already in place that FHSU and the technical colleges could use for workforce development—some of which are going unused.
"It's my job and the delegation's job to make sure we unlock that opportunity not only for our institutions but for businesses and the people they employ," he said.
Ben Schears, Northwest Tech president, said the core of what the schools are doing is connecting with local businesses about their workforce needs.
He said succession planning is essential in rural Kansas. He used the example of a local gas station and mechanics shop. He said the colleges need to make sure someone in the community has the technical and business skills to take over that business when the owner is ready to retire.
If that business closes, the likelihood of it reopening is low. The community likely loses that service.
He said many small business owners in rural Kansas are nearing retirement age, and having workers available to take over those businesses is crucial to the survival of small Kansas communities.
"This is grassroots work that is happening with our faculty, who are talking about how we rethink how we educate, how we rethink the pathways between technical colleges and universities, between technical colleges and technical colleges, and from the university to the technical colleges," Schears said.
He said colleges need to better connect with economic development officers in communities who know what the opportunities are.
"You have a young man or young woman who is entrepreneurial-minded, but they don't know what opportunity exists in that small-town western Kansas community," Schears said. "If you can make that connection and provide the opportunities that are needed to be able to get the skill and the business acumen, that's where the magic happens."
Merchant McIntyre Associates is a consultant working with the three institutions on researching, applying for and advocating for federal grants to support affiliation initiatives and workforce development.
The Kansas Legislature has approved the affiliation agreement. The last step is approval by the Higher Learning Commission, which visited the institutions last week. The commission board will consider approval in June.
"We are very optimistic that it will be a yes vote," FHSU President Tisa Mason said. "I think the visit went very well."
NCK Tech President Eric Burks encouraged community members and business owners to reach out to the institutions about the workforce needs they see in the community. He also urged people to reach out with questions they may have about the affiliation.
Schears said the community members will see the name and logo changes as the affiliation moves forward, but affiliation means much more profound core changes in education.
Mason said she is excited about the opportunities that lay ahead.
"I'm grateful for the partnership," she said. "This an opportunity to come together voluntarily because we have a shared vision for how we want to lift up western Kansas and rural communities."