Friday, June 20, 2008

OSU and Tooling U Partner to Provide Continuing Education Units

Have you ever wished that you could receive education units for your Tooling U classes? It is now possible through a partnership between Tooling U and The Ohio State University Center for Corporate and Community Education.

Tooling U and OSU have joined together to offer continuing education units (CEUs). For every seven Tooling U classes a user completes, the Ohio State University Center for Corporate and Community Education will award one CEU for a minimal cost. Continuing Education Units are used nationally as a way of quantifying the time an individual spends in the classroom working on training and professional development activities.

There are several reasons why Tooling U decided to enter this arena. First, our users have been demanding it. While CEUs are not eligible to be used toward a college degree, they serve multiple purposes for both the employer and the employee. Employees are able to maintain a nationally-recognized record of their training. This will help employees who have pay incentives based on skill. Plus, many companies will pay for an employee’s training if it is attached to a CEU or college credit. Meanwhile, employers gain additional concrete metrics upon which they can base raises and promotions, or even hire new employees.

The Ohio State University was a natural choice when it came to choosing a partner for this initiative. OSU is a nationally recognized university—and conveniently located in Tooling U’s home state.

If you are interested in turning your future Tooling U classes into CEUs, contact Katie Strand in our Customer Support division. She can be reached at katie.strand@toolingu.com.

Director of Content

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Eleventh Annual High School Machining Contest

I recently got the chance to travel to Rochester, New York in early May for the Eleventh Annual High School Machining Contest. The competition, sponsored by Monroe’s Community College’s Applied Technologies Center, challenged nearly 30 students to complete a lathe project within three hours, and then complete a mill project within three hours. This competition showcased the skills of students at the BOCES throughout New York. The student that placed first won a semester’s tuition to MCC.

While the students were machining, the instructors got a chance to hold a round table meeting to discuss issues each facing their programs. Some of the common concerns that were voiced included increasing enrollment, engaging students in the classroom and trying to reach academic standards for their respective states. One of the solutions to these problems is using Tooling U to upgrade theory components of curriculum and to help reach academic standards. I was proud to introduce our product to the instructors who were not familiar with it.

If your school is currently facing issues meeting state academic standards or preparing for NIMS testing, make sure to talk to me. I can help you figure out how to make your program shine.

Government & Education Specialist