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keynote address provided by Mr. Robert E. McGahern

Third Annual Employer Summit Held at College

March 5, 2010

Cerro Coso Community College held the 3rd Annual Employer Summit on Friday, February 26, 2010 at the Indian Wells Valley campus. Employers from aerospace/military, mining/manufacturing and renewable energy were in attendance with faculty, staff and students. Over a hundred attended the event.

College staffers provided a college update and presentations in the areas of curriculum, engineering, industrial technology, National Science Foundation California Regional Consortium for Engineering Advances in Technological Education (CREATE) Center, K12 Update, EKERN, job placement/internships, and customized training (contract education). In addition to presentations, there was a brainstorming session of needs and questions from employers.
"Employer input is critical in developing curriculum to the region's current and future workforces. The purpose of this year's Employer Summit was to demonstrate Cerro Coso Community College's commitment to employer training needs and to provide updates on programs and services "said Valerie Karnes, Dean of Career and Technical Education at Cerro Coso Community College.

The keynote address was provided by Mr. Robert E. McGahern. He is employed by the Department of Defense working for the Office of the Director, Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E) as the Director of the National Defense Education Program (NDEP) K-12 Pre-Engineering Program (PEP). McGahern addressed the existing and emerging needs in aerospace and the skill sets students need to be competitive in the job market. In addition, he outlined programs that are available to students in support of entering these careers.

This event was sponsored by employers and would not have been possible without their generous support. The Gold Level sponsors included Jacobs Naval Systems Group and Kern Community College District. The Silver level sponsors included Kern Economic Development Corporation (KEDC), Center for Applied Competitive Technologies, Pacific Gas & Electric, California Regional Consortium for Engineering Advances in Technological Education (CREATE) and Mojave Spaceport. Bronze Level sponsors included CSC, Cosner-Neipp Corporation, Searles Valley Minerals, NDTI and Paul & Sons Automotive. "The College is very thankful for the support, we couldn't have done it without them," continued Karnes.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Natalie Dorrell, Public Information (760) 384-6260