OTC?s Project CREW broadens its horizons

|tab|

Ozark Technical Community College's Project CREW isn't just about construction anymore. Last fall, OTC changed the program's acronym and its focus from Construction Readiness Education for Women to Career Readiness Education for Women. |ret||ret||tab|

The change, which came about partly because of financial restrictions, also enables the school to offer more career choices to more women.|ret||ret||tab|

According to Carla Gregg, who wrote the initial grant that got Project CREW off the ground, and who is OTC's assistant dean of counseling and advising, the program now offers 11 courses in addition to the original construction program. Project CREW |ret||ret||tab|

students now can choose courses in auto collision repair, auto technology, diesel technology, drafting and design, electronic technology, heating, refrigeration and air conditioning, industrial maintenance, machine tool technology and printing technology and welding technology.|ret||ret||tab|

There are now seven women participating in Project CREW, which is designed to get them through a certificate program in one year and make them employable in their chosen field. Students who complete a one-year Project CREW program and then complete a one-year internship in a related field can earn their associate's degrees.|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

Funding woes|ret||ret||tab|

Project CREW's initial grant to start the program eight years ago asked the Missouri Women's Council for $60,000, which, once received, paid the students' tuition and funded the position of project coordinator for the program. Project CREW's first coordinator was Elise Crain, who served for one year. Crain was followed by two-year coordinator Kathy Brazeale. The final project coordinator for the original, construction-oriented Project CREW was Jennifer Jackson, who held the post for five years. The project coordinators mentored the students and taught some of their classes.|ret||ret||tab|

"The council used to have grant funds they awarded each year for programs that helped prepare women for the work force especially those going into nontraditional careers," Gregg said.|ret||ret||tab|

She added that the Project CREW grant was a partnership between the Missouri Women's Council and the Job Council of the Ozarks, which is now the Missouri Career Center.|ret||ret||tab|

When the Missouri Women's Council and OTC each had to cut back on their funding for the program, Gregg said, the school knew that it wouldn't be able to fund Jackson's position as project coordinator beyond the spring of 2001. At that point, OTC began exploring its options for the program, knowing that the program would either have to be eliminated altogether or revamped.|ret||ret||tab|

The new and expanded Project CREW is the brainchild of Dr. Jesse Hudson. Now semi-retired, Hudson formerly was OTC's dean of technical education. |ret||ret||tab|

"He started talking about expanding the program about a year-and-a-half ago," Gregg said. "He said that women have the aptitude for more technical or mechanical type fields."|ret||ret||tab|

In the search for an alternative funding source, Hudson's idea was presented to the Junior League of Springfield Inc., 2574 E. Bennett. Now, the Junior League provides a $1,000 per student, per year scholarship. Its members also mentor the students on a one-one-one basis.|ret||ret||tab|

Gregg said the tuition for the Project CREW program varies according to which program a student takes.|ret||ret||tab|

"Typically, the cost is $1,000 to $2,000 a semester," she said.|ret||ret||tab|

Students can apply for Pell Grants or |ret||ret||tab|

student loans to help them meet the cost of their classes, books and student fees anything that isn't already covered by a scholarship.|ret||ret||tab|

Initially this year, there were 11 women signed up for Project CREW, but four had to drop out for financial reasons they couldn't take off a whole year without working. |ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

The new CREW|ret||ret||tab|

The changes to Project CREW have pros and cons, Gregg said, with one of the cons being that because the women choose different career paths, there isn't the same level of camaraderie among the students.|ret||ret||tab|

"Jennifer (Jackson) met with the women every day and taught some of their classes," she said. "Now, the women are spread out in different programs and don't have the peer support they used to have. They don't get to know each other as well now."|ret||ret||tab|

The new batch of students only gets together once a week, she added. |ret||ret||tab|

While OTC is happy with the way the new program is working, Gregg said they'll try some diffrent things next year. |ret||ret||tab|

"For one, we want the students to meet more often as a group," she said. "We're considering this a transition year. We would've liked to have had more women in the program this year."|ret||ret||tab|

Jackson said that while she likes her new job as grant development coordinator and communications teacher at OTC, she has a "real heartfelt attachment to CREW. I really believe in that project and hope to remain helpful to the women by getting them connected to the contacts I have in the construction industry. I'm glad for the change. It's an opportunity for the program to grow and to get women into higher paying, entry level, nontraditional jobs."[[In-content Ad]]