Marketing piece arriving in many mailboxes last week of July leaves questions about dates fall Trade Skill Classes begin, whether a course is completed in 8 or 16 weeks, which courses are on-line, and whether identical courses taught on Verde Campus with free tuition are also free at CTEC; no on-line edition has appeared yet
Yavapai Community College has been expanding its advertising and marketing efforts with a focus on the Verde Valley since Dr. Lisa Rhine became president. That is very good news.
However, some of its marketing, the Blog suggests, could use improvement. For example, the 20 page Yavapai Community College “Fall 2021 Verde Valley/Sedona Enrollment Guide,” which as a marketing tool is a great idea, appears to lack the kind of important details about the Trades Skills courses offered at the newly constructed Trades Skills Center that should be expected. The “Guide” began arriving in many Verde Valley mailboxes the last week of July.
The “Guide” devotes the first four opening pages to full-page efforts aimed at encouraging interest in Skills Center enrollment on the Verde Campus. But it falls far short of providing detailed information regarding starting dates. Only by digging through the Community College’s Registration website will a person discover that some of the trades courses begin in August while others begin in October. And there are other problems.
The “Guide” lists and describes the four courses one must complete to obtain a Residential Trades/Construction certificate. However, only when one searches the Community College’s Registration website is it discovered which of the four is actually being offered this fall. (Turns out only one of four listed is offered this fall.)
The “Guide” also lists the four courses required to obtain a Residential Plumbing Certificate. However, only one course is offered in the fall, according to the Community College’s Registration web site.
The Residential Electrical Certificate requires completion of five courses. However, only two of them are being offered in the fall. Something you cannot discover reading the “Guide.”
The HVAC Technician Certificate is the most unusual in terms of the fall offerings, start dates, and options. None of which are clearly noted in the “Guide.” A certificate requires completion of eight courses, only four of which are offered in the fall. Two of the courses start in October and a third in August. A fourth course is offered on-line, in an eight week format and another is offered in a 16 week format. Students in the Verde Valley may take the course on-line or in the 16 week live format. Students in Prescott can take the course on-line or in an eight-week live format. None of the flexibility is indicated in the “Guide.”
It is noted that the Community College does not offer flexible hours or dates for the Basic Carpentry course. It is an eight-credit course required in three of the four Trades Certificates. For efficiency, it is assumed, the Community College will teach this course to students in the three Certificate courses at the same time, in the same room, with the same instructor. You must dig a lot to find this out on the College’s Registration web site.
It is also noted that the “Guide” has yet to appear on-line.
The charts below were prepared by the Blog staff to indicate the dates, times and options available to students taking the courses in the four Trade Certificate programs offered on the Verde Campus at the Trades Center.
