Dodge City Community College cut a ribbon Oct. 30 to signify its commitment to an industrial maintenance program that provides students with an opportunity to earn an associate’s degree and a certificate to equip them for employers who need their skills.
One of the dignitaries who attended was U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, who secured $500,000 in federal monies to help the project. Moran is pictured above.
Kansas and the southwest region of the state is poised for more growth because the communities can offer attractive places to live for employees compared to traditional hot spots Austin, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee, where the cost of living has started to become a barrier for companies.
“Maybe they (companies) should see what’s going on in Kansas,” Moran said.
An educated workforce is crucial, and the industrial maintenance program meets local and regional needs, so he expects it to flourish. Moran, who grew up in Plainville, in northwest Kansas, said ever since he first became involved in public service, he has made a commitment to help rural towns and cities, and the college’s program will help.
Clayton Tatro, vice president of workforce development at the college, said the industrial maintenance program fits employers’ need for trained employees. He credited many public and private sector partners who recognized the opportunity. Among those who have committed to the program include meat and dairy processing plants and other large employers. The program offers a one-year curriculum, and eventually the program will have 40 students enrolled every year.
Tatro said the industrial maintenance will benefit employers and provide employees with good-paying jobs. A brochure noted the average annual entry-level salary for an industrial maintenance worker in 2023 was $43,770, and the median annual wage was $62,130. The brochure also noted that on average there were 531 annual openings in Kansas.
“This is a big deal,” Tatro said.
Gary Harshberger, chairman of the college’s board of trustees, said the program was a product of listening, and he credited college trustees who were good listeners about the importance of community needs and an educated workforce. That initiative represented local leadership at its best, the chairman said.
The administration and key leaders in the community and business community, along with support from the state and local public entities, all believed in the mission, too.
“I’m very excited about what’s happening in Dodge City, Ford County and western Kansas,” Harshberger said.
College President Harold Nolte told those who attended he was proud of the program and students, and he predicted the program will flourish. The college had recently added automotive technology as another another commitment to helping meet vocational needs.
Nolte, who thanked Moran, Tatro and Harshberger, agreed that the commitment made by county, city, schools and industrial partnerships is why Dodge City will continue to grow.
The Dodge City Area Chamber of Commerce conducted the ribbon-cutting ceremony inside the college’s South Technical Education Center at 1508 W. Beeson Road.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
