A lot of the reasons why I became an instructor
is being able to pass knowledge on and
help better somebody else. If you can be
passionate about what you do, its going
to show in your students. My name is Jeremy King.
I am the Lead Faculty for Mechanical
Engineering and Architectural Design at WSU Tech.
When I was growing up I really didn't
know what I wanted to be. I didn't go to for teaching, so
to walk into a classroom and not have
any idea of what I was doing, I picked
up the reigns and I made the best of it.
One of the biggest challenges we have is hiring teachers. I look
for do you have the technical skills,
but more importantly do you have the passion.
Jeremy had that heart. He was worth taking a risk on.
And the risk has certainly paid off.
Education is hard to change,
but technical education is much more
flexible. Much more nimble. We're
always working with our business and industry to figure out whats next.
One of the ways we do that is through our association with NC3.
NC3 is where industry comes together with
educators across the country with a focus
on the classroom.
Yes, there was a time when the skilled trades
you needed a good pair of hands and a strong back. The reality is though
today that we need a good pair of hands guided by a good mind.
And we do that through our Train the Trainer network.
I think its valuable for me to train other teachers
and to be taught myself for continuous improvement.
Being a student of other teachers you learn how
they teach. You've got to be able to
learn and adapt to what is happening
today. Not what happened yesterday.
Train the Trainer is a great opportunity for faculty. They're
receiving up to date training on
the latest and the greatest certifications that NC3 are going to offer.
Then they can bring it back and share that information with their students.
And it truly
enhances the way they teach.
Jeremy wanted a way to to get a credential for his students in 3D Printing.
NC3 provides a basis of certification,
curriculum, and training. Jeremy then passes it on
to his students through a credential. Employers
are going to look at that credential and they're going to say this
is someone that is versed in skills that I need
and actually bringing a product to market.
We get the bad stigma that oh its just a vocational school,
but you get the workplace skills that you don't get at
four-year university. If you apply for a job
the first thing thats on there is "must have
X numbers of years of experience" but
how can we get that to the
students. We partner with companies
and bring in real world jobs
while they're still going to school.
Certifications are great because they're industry recognized and
they come from somebody other than the institution.
Its just another part of making sure that students know
I am really work ready.
I think its very important for teachers like Jeremy
to embrace these new technologies and introduce it
to their students to help them remain
relevant in the 21st century.
Jeremy King is the future of NC3 today.
He brings that spirit and engagement to the classroom
where other instructors go wow when I walked out of there
I'm inspired now to go back and I want to learn like that.
The faculty that I work with, they make this job.
Without them, I couldn't do it. I think my faculty and
the president of our college help us grow ourselves.
We are a nation that builds things. We are a nation that makes things. We are a nation that invents things.
Thats the foundation of who we are.
These are noble jobs. There are noble industries.
And our students are going to be successful, and that news will spread and
all of a sudden that image changes dramatically.