Back To School
Education in Business
2005-2006 Report
by Dana E. Blozis

Education and business are inseparable. Whether learning basic multiplication tables, how to program a computer, or how to weld a boat hull, education proves an integral part of all levels in the business world. While educational institutions are only one venue for developing valuable skills, it is still within these local classrooms, hallways, and dorms that many of the business leaders of tomorrow are making life decisions today.
As a progressively global market increases worldwide competition for local companies, the quality of its employees – from laborer to executive – determine its capability for growth.
From WASL to welding, the education in business report gives an in-depth look at how our schools are measuring up to the unique demands of today’s business world.
-NWBM

Local high schools mean business
Beginning with the class of 2008, high school students will be required to pass the controversial Washington Assessments of Student Learning test (WASL) in order to graduate. Some area administrators strongly favor the requirement, including Michael Soltman, superintendent for the San Juan Island School District, who said the WASL has affected local schools for the better. Not only has it created an environment of intentional teaching, said Soltman, but it has also facilitated more coordination and communication among teachers. Reading, writing and math are now the responsibility of all teachers, rather than just those who teach the subjects. The testing requirement has also allowed teachers to get to know students more individually and to measure their progress over time, Soltman said.
On the flip side, some parents and business leaders are concerned that the increased focus on basic subjects has decreased the opportunity for students to take valuable electives, including fine arts classes and career and technology training.
“WASL is having an ever growing effect,” said Bill Quehrn, executive vice president of the Building Industry Association of Whatcom County.
While Quehrn is pleased with the greater focus on basic subjects, he believes it has become more difficult for students to take a broad range of classes. The focus has shifted to passing the WASL and taking college preparatory classes, effectively reducing career and technology education training in schools.
“It’s a growing problem in Washington public schools,” Quehrn said.
Krista Paulson, assistant vice principal and career and technology education director for Mount Vernon High School, agrees that the WASL requirements are having an impact on students through decreased elective opportunities. Because students are doubling up on math and science now, they have fewer opportunities to take electives.
Fortunately, area educators recognize the need for a balance between meeting standardized requirements and offering a variety of exploratory career-oriented courses. Here is a sampling of programs offered in northwest Washington.

Gates Grant boosts San Juan’s business focus
Superintendent Soltman is proud of several innovative programs offered in his school district. In addition to having an area pilot and a construction professional teach career-specific subjects, the San Juan schools have been awarded a $250,000 Gates Grant. This three-year grant helped create a community council staffed by students and area business leaders. After completing a community needs assessment to determine the district’s top areas of concern, the council requested project proposals from area agencies and ranked projects on which to concentrate. According to Soltman, the students volunteered to perform “a whole variety of projects” to meet the community’s most prevalent needs.
“It’s a nice connection between students and business leaders,” Soltman said. “It has helped students understand business, and helped the business leaders understand kids and schools today.”
The Norwest Workforce Development Council has also implemented a student ambassador program for San Juan High School students. This summer, 14 students were selected to help tourists during their visit to the island. Accompanying visitors on the island, students answered questions about where to go and what to see. Following their visits, students conducted surveys to find out how to improve on the tourists’ experiences. Identified by buttons that say, “Ask me, I live here,” Soltman said students have gotten a taste of the hospitality industry.

Timber Ridge builds construction skills
Timber Ridge, an alternative school in Whatcom County, offers a construction class to its students. Added to the curriculum in January with funding assistance from the BIAWC, a skilled instructor teaches basic construction skills to kids, and shows them how to apply those skills to “real world” situations. One of the projects includes building a shed without a kit. Under supervision, the students assist in the shed’s design and construct it from scratch.
With 60 students enrolled in the first course this spring, Principal Robert Hascall was pleased to add the course to the school’s curriculum, particularly because he feels construction knowledge is a useful survival skill, whether it is used on the job or elsewhere. Hascall said the students enjoyed the experience.
“Feedback from students has been positive,” Hascall said. “Students responded to the hands-on environment.”

Whatcom test students health
High school students from Whatcom County have the opportunity to enroll in a health services program. In addition to the classroom instruction provided at St. Joseph Hospital, students get on-the-job training in three health service disciplines of their choice. They can see firsthand how doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians, and other health professionals perform their jobs. Rotating through three fields of expertise, students spend two hours a day for four to five weeks at each location.
As a result of this program, Linda Cowan of Bellingham Technical College said students are “very well prepared” for the job market after completing the course.
“Employers really love hiring these students,” Cowan said.
In addition, students have the opportunity to participate in health occupations before investing in a post-secondary education.
Implemented in 1997, Cowan reports the program has been very successful. With 11 area high schools participating in the program, it has also become quite competitive. Only 45 students can attend each session, which means only three or four students from each school will be accepted.
Using this health services model, Cowan and other professionals in the business and academic communities hope to create a similar program for the construction trades. According to Cowan, these programs are not only diminishing because of a greater focus on reading, writing and math, but also because the cost of maintaining such programs is high. It is difficult to hire qualified instructors, and purchasing and maintaining equipment to specific industry standards ends up being costly. Instead, Cowan said schools are spending more money on exploratory programs.
To offer construction trades training to interested students, a group of Whatcom County trade-related businesses, including the BIAWC and Associated General Contractors, have met to discuss the idea of a construction academy. While the possibility of such a center is “very, very tentative,” the hope is that the academy would serve juniors and seniors throughout the county on one campus. The academy would offer a one-year course to prepare students for entry-level constructions jobs or to interest them in post-secondary education for more technical jobs or management positions.
To date, only one meeting has been held to discuss the academy concept. To further the idea, educators need the support of the business community and to determine if there is enough interest from students. Cowan and Quehrn are both excited about the possibilities.
“We’ve been brainstorming,” Cowan said.

Mount Vernon High School gets focused
In addition to making all teachers responsible for a curriculum that will help students to be successful on the WASL, Mount Vernon High School offers a number of programs to prepare students for college and for the workforce.
Two years ago, Mount Vernon High School started its freshman focus class – a required one-semester course for all ninth graders. In this class, students get an introduction to high school and are guided through the development of a preliminary high school plan. Students also have the opportunity to explore five possible career pathways: arts and communication; business and marketing, health and human services, science and natural resources, and technology and industry.
As kids are introduced to these pathways, they explore different careers in each. Based on an interest survey, aptitude test, and personal preference, students are encouraged to choose their future classes around their preferred path. As their goals change, adjustments are made to the plan.
So far, the feedback has been primarily positive, Paulson said. “It helps students make high school relevant.”
As a part of the freshman focus program, students are encouraged to participate in clubs and sports. According to Paulson, as the students invest more of themselves in their schools, they take more ownership, leading to greater success as a student. With a focus on citizenship and career possibilities, Mount Vernon High School offers a number of clubs including DECA; Future Farmers of America; Future Business Leaders of America; Family, Career and Community Leaders of America; and the Technology Student Association.
From an elective standpoint, the school’s Career and Technology Education program includes five areas of concentration: agriculture, business education, family and consumer sciences, technology education, and visual arts/communication. To make sure these areas are kept relevant, area business leaders sit on an advisory committee to review the curriculum each year.
As additional support for these programs, Mount Vernon High School is building a new Career and Technology Education center. The new facility will include animal science classes, a laboratory, wood shop, power technology, drafting room, and a television production studio. Having such a state-of-the-art facility will help the school’s more than 1,700 students explore a variety of career options.
Proud of these programs, Paulson said Mount Vernon High School is still required to meet the new state testing requirements.
“We all have to meet the standards,” she said. “We’re all stepping up.”

Outsmarting Outsourcing
Colleges prepare students for jobs
that can’t be done overseas
by Linda Thomas

It’ll be easy to find a seat in computer classes at local community and technical colleges this fall. But students starting nursing, automotive or culinary arts careers won’t have much elbow room. Those programs are full and have waiting lists.
“Anything that involved computers used to be such a hot-button for students, but not anymore,” said Michele Koci, dean of professional and technical education at Skagit Valley College. “There’s been a drop in enrollment for IT training and students are showing more interest in hands-on programs.”
In 2000, approximately 20 students enrolled in SVC’s automotive service program. Three years ago, that number increased to 30. This month the college has about 40 students signed up for car repair classes with many more on a waiting list.
Bellingham Technical College, one of five technical schools in the region, is experiencing much of the same growth in “hands-on” courses.
The college offers 25 associate and applied science programs. Automotive technology, auto collision repair and welding classes are full. Nursing and health care programs are also “sold out,” according to BTC President Gerald Pumphrey.

Hanging on to jobs
One explanation for the shift away from computer training is that students want jobs that can’t be done by workers overseas, Pumphrey said.
The number of U.S. jobs that could be outsourced varies greatly. The most recent study released on outsourcing comes from the McKinsey Global Institute, based in San Francisco. It predicts 4.1 million service jobs could be taken away from employees in industrialized countries and given to workers in low-wage countries by 2008.
Other experts say that estimate is too high.
Forrester Research, a Cambridge, Massachusetts technology company, puts the number of outsourced jobs at 3 million by 2015. The national outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas expects around 500,000 service sector jobs will be sent overseas by the end of 2006.
Pumphrey believes fears about outsourcing jobs are often “overplayed,” but he said today’s students do seem more interested in careers that can’t be done elsewhere.
“If your furnace quits in the middle of the night, nobody from China or India is going to come here to fix it,” Pumphrey explained. “Emergency medical technicians need to be on-site. And you’re not going to send a dented car overseas for repairs.”

Lean, mean precision machines
The information technology programs aren’t the only ones affected by outsourcing.
BTC Vice President of Instruction Patricia McKeown said many colleges across the country closed their manufacturing programs over the last few years because of a downturn in the industry. But that’s not the case for Bellingham Tech, which is retooling its manufacturing programs to meet the need for workers who can operate precision, computer-guided machines.
“When we think of manufacturing we think of huge shops with big chunks of metal and sparks flying all over the place,” McKeown said. “That’s part of the industry, but not all of it.”
Over the summer the technical college applied for a grant to overhaul its curriculum and cover the cost of new, precision equipment.
“Despite a global concern about job outsourcing, being entrepreneurial and innovative will protect a student’s or a company’s future,” said McKeown.
One example of a local, innovative manufacturer is Upchurch Scientific. The company, founded in Oak Harbor in the mid 1970s, makes parts for analytical and diagnostic medical equipment. It is the world’s top provider of precision, specialized valves and tubes.
“We have some plastic tubing that is so small you can’t even see a hole in the center of it, and yet another even smaller piece of tubing is made to go through it,” said Mark Kincy, the company’s marketing manager.
Upchurch Scientific also makes the plastic spinal components surgeons use to replace parts of a human spine. And it creates plastic tubing used during heart surgery.
“A company like ours will always need highly-skilled employees to work with specialized equipment,” Kincy said.

High rated, high demand jobs
College educators collaborate with Northwest employers to make sure the classes they offer are relevant.
To respond to an overwhelming demand for health care workers, Skagit Valley College created a pharmacy technician program. It will be offered for the first time this fall. BTC recently added new classes for surgery technicians and radiologists.
“What we hear from employers is that they need good health care for their workers,” said BTC’s Patricia McKeown. “That’s a challenge because there’s a severe shortage of nurses and other care providers.”
The Northwest Workforce Development Council serves Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan and Island Counties. The group’s research finds that in the next year, colleges will graduate 189 fewer nurses than the area needs.
And the health care system hasn’t seen the effect yet of aging baby boomers.
The need for medical workers will increase significantly as the population ages, according to a state study on the health care personnel shortage. The report – “Crisis or Opportunity?” – noted that in 2000 Washington’s population over the age of 65 topped 660,000. By 2020 the state will have more than 1.2 million residents over 65.
McKeown said nursing is the “highest rated, high demand” occupation in Whatcom County. The average pay for a registered nurse in the area starts at $17 per hour and goes up to $35 an hour.
All colleges in the region have plans to expand their nursing programs. BTC is now working with the University of Washington’s Bothell campus to establish a bachelor’s program in nursing in Bellingham.
“The future looks bright for all of our nursing students,” McKeown said. “Any student who gets into a field where they’re working with a product or service they can touch, such as automotive or even the culinary arts, will be in demand.”

Higher learning:
WWU business programs on upswing
by John Kinmonth

Western Washington University students are getting practical. Behind the ink-grabbing athletic teams, waterfront redevelopment proposals, and student protests, WWU students are still quietly going about their business. And, according to WWU professors and administration, business is good.
Dr. Brian Burton, associate dean of the College of Business and Economics, said he has seen a definite increase in interest in all business majors, but especially in manufacturing supply chain management, finance, marketing and international business.
Director of Admissions Karen Copetas agrees. She also said that business is on the upswing with incoming students, particularly in international business, finance and marketing.
Students aren’t just flocking to business programs. Other business-related fields have also seen measurable growth. According to Arlan Norman, dean of the College of Sciences and Technology, Western is seeing sizeable increases in the number of students going into engineering, technology and materials science disciplines. Manufacturing is a hot area in engineering, he said. Materials science deals more with a combination of engineering, chemistry and physics.
To encourage this growing interest, Norman reported they are in the process of creating a new materials instruction and research center. Industrial technology and industrial design have also proven popular as of recent. Among those, sustainable design has become a new area of interest for students, which has spurred the addition of a sustainable design component in conjunction with Huxley College.
Driven by extensive employment opportunities, biochemistry and biology continue to be growing areas, Norman said.
“Bio-something will be the areas of greatest growth in the college during the next few years,” he said.
Like other colleges around the area and the country, computer science enrollment has been a sore point for Western. While Western’s computer science enrollment decrease is less than the national average, Norman still calls it “a very serious trend.”

WWU takes business professionals back to school
Besides traditional educational avenues, Western offers extended education and summer programs to businesses throughout the region.
Dr. Barbara Audley, executive director, calls EESP the “hidden business resource of Whatcom County.”
The EESP offers a variety of skill-building certificates, on-site training, conference services, distance learning, and career preparation for business people. Among the more notable programs, EESP offers a Web Design and Development Certificate program, which covers HTML and Dreamweaver and teaches individuals how to build a fully functioning Web site from the ground up.
Another notable certification is one that is rarely thought about until it’s too late. In response to business necessity, Western has created a certificate program in Emergency Management for businesses, which address topics from identifying hazards and assessing vulnerability to legal processes and business continuity. Participants are able to pick specific classes or complete the entire certification.

Back-to-school rush
provides retail push
Area stores capitalize on seasonal sales
by John Kinmonth

As the lazy days of summer quickly fade into a flurry of homework and after-school activities, area retailers work to attract and accommodate the back-to-school market.
“Back to school is one of our top three selling seasons,” said Cara Buckingham, marketing manager of the Bellis Fair mall in Bellingham.
In an effort to cater to the throngs of teenagers looking for new back-to-school styles, Bellis Fair held an event called “The Scene.” With a variety of activities from the “Dynamite Pepsi Lounge” – where young shoppers could watch hit comedy “Napoleon Dynamite” – to fashion shows sponsored by Old Navy, The Scene represents a collective marketing effort from the mall to draw a hard-to-reach demographic.
“The apparel categories will do pretty well during back-to-school,” Buckingham said. Personal service providers such as salons also see an increase during August, she added. The mall’s proximity to Western Washington University gives it an added retail push.
“One thing we get is kind of an extended season,” she said. “During the first part of the season we’ll get the grade school and high school students, and then the college doesn’t start their fall session until three weeks after the other districts start.”
Students aren’t the only ones providing a sales boost to area stores.
Launching Success Learning Store, one of the region’s largest educational materials stores, typically spends six months gearing up for the August rush, which represents three times its normal monthly volume. According to company president and spokesman Dan Sanford, the last week of July and the months of August and September combined may represent up to one fourth of the store’s annual sales.
Locally owned by four former teachers, Launching Success has a solid but simple lesson plan to accommodate the rush of educators – be prepared.
The store begins its purchases for August as early as March at the National School Supply and Equipment Association’s trade show, where the newest and best materials are profiled, said Sanford. The store then hires additional part time help during the early summer months for receiving and stocking materials.
“We even use volunteers to pitch in for last minute tasks,” Sanford added.
“It is a lot of fun just to see the new materials and give some tips to new teachers,” said Nancy Hoff, a retired teacher who helps out most weeks at the store.
One of the challenges for the store during this time includes anticipating customer needs and finding room for the additional stock.
“After the storeroom is filled, we move products to the floor or toward the ceiling to accommodate everything,” said co-owner and buyer Sander Hiorns. “If we sell out too early, we scramble to reorder, but suppliers too are slowed by this extra-ordinary sales period. So we try to be prepared to avoid customer frustration.”
Another preparation method includes contacting curriculum directors throughout Skagit, Island, and Whatcom counties to find out what materials the districts are endorsing this year. Some districts order directly from the store, and others simply provide warning to the store’s buyers on which curricular programs or enrichment materials are being promoted by the schools.