by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC
Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer will visit Kansas City Kansas Community College’s Dr. Thomas R. Burke Technical Education Center next week as part of the American Technical Education Association Region 5 Conference.
KCKCC-TEC will be the host for the conference, bringing technical schools from eight states to the KCKCC campus.
The regional conference, “Racing to Success,” is Oct. 3 to 5 at KCKCC-TEC, 6565 State Ave. About 200 people are expected to attend. Colyer is expected to speak at 8 a.m. Oct. 4 in the Multipurpose Room at KCKCC-TEC.
The keynote speaker at the conference will be Wesley Stith, vice president purchasing manager and Small Business Liaison Officer for Clark Construction Group, LLC.
In addition, there will be a variety of breakout sessions for attendees to choose from ranging in topics from the Middle School Career Awareness Event that KCKCC-TEC holds on a regular basis and Preparing Academic Institutions for Diversity in the Workplace to Kansas SkillsUSA and Filling the Skills Gap with Customized Training.
Three tour tracks will also be offered:
• Health-Safety – Includes tours of University of Kansas Medical Center and Net Standard
• Manufacturing – Includes tours of Huhtamki and Dimensional Innovations
• Best of KCK-Wyandotte County – Includes tours of Amazon and Kansas Speedway
The planning committee is led by Cliff Smith, associate chief of facility services at KCKCC and ATEA Board member.
“We hope to gain knowledge on how other colleges and technical programs recruit business partners and how they work with those partners,” said Cliff Smith, associate chief of facility services at KCKCC. “Besides the immediate benefit of networking with other technical programs and colleges, we hope to make a donation to the KCKCC Foundation as well so that more scholarships can be provided to our students.”
The ATEA is an international association that focuses on the quality of postsecondary technical education with an emphasis in professional development for technical educators. In addition, it is a driving force behind workforce development. Founded in 1928, the ATEA strives to provide training on practical ideas and best practices while also providing a network of career connectivity. Region 5 includes technical schools from eight states – Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Minnesota. The conference is also opened to those in Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
“We hope that those attending the conference will gain a better idea of what KCKCC does,” Smith said. “We want them to see what we have to offer students and how we offer it.”
For more information on the ATEA, visit www.ateaonline.org/. To learn more about the conference, contact Smith at 913-288-7681 or by email atclsmith@kckcc.edu.