Human Services Roles

June 10, 2004 Community Breakfast Comments
Human Service Agencies

What role could NMC play in helping you address these trends?

Curriculum	Interactive Television for training for Big Brothers/Big Sisters to connect outlying counties. Offer local training in fundraising and grants. Health related non-nursing courses. Legal courses. Computer Information Systems. Senior Academy to earn credit for second degree. Connect air pollution and regulations with water studies. Survey seniors on what they want in education and how often. Reeducation of segments of the workforce as we move from manufacturing jobs. Education and training needs to improve opportunities for the working poor. Education and training needs of population transitioning from corrections to the community. (Currently about 1,300 in this area.) Work with agencies to establish learning networks throughout Northern Michigan (rural initiative), dealing with disadvantaged populations. Affordable technical assistance with data collection, analysis and application. Need affordable distance communication for training and interacting with volunteers, staff, board members and committees. (Video conferencing at University Center.) Become a four-year university: offer post-graduate courses (Masters) in numerous disciplines and continue to expand non-credit courses. Offer technology education Support health care education. Earlier exposure for students emphasizing trades, skills and local higher learning opportunities available to them. Work to remove the stigma associated with "trades", changing the image from the traditional vocational program. M-TEC has begun this process, but need to expose students much earlier. Offer job skills training on how to get a job, along with mentoring and childcare. Target unemployed, underemployed or those out of the workforce for a number of years. The Bridge Program is wonderful. Expand it to other populations, e.g. jail program, men, etc. Convene an advisory committee to address the issue of licensing requirements now required for social workers. Expose younger students to the culinary program. Examine coalitions similar to the Munson Medical Center program. Develop a "Senior University Center" or Senior Institute model. Partner with community/human service agencies to train caregivers for child foster care. Foster parents need to be highly skilled today. NMC provide training to new Children's Services staff instead of FIA doing training. Offer more certification, non-degree opportunities. Career Day expansion, modeled on Girltech/Guytech Project 100, for all area schools including elementary to secondary students. There is an influx of highly non-traditional students who have an array of problems that can be solved by our agencies permanently, but need more than a single semester contact. They need an ongoing support system until they reach their individual goals. (Bridge Program) More caregiver education. More education outreach to senior centers. Partner with community on elder abuse and services. Partnerships like Water Study Institute. Take computer education to seniors. Create a lab school (Oleson Center/TCAPS?) to train child care providers and foster care providers. Partner with 4C's to offer Child Development Associates Degree program, including training for small business owner. Partner with the various agencies who put together an annual early childhood conference.
General	Can organizations use the 2-way audio/video facilities to assist with regional communication/training for staff and volunteers? Parents of children in 0 to 5 age group work together with K-12 & University Center to help whole family. Mentoring by NMC students of community youth. Expand on Zonta Project 100 for area-wide youth. Offer more scholarships. Access to interns through the University Center is a "Godsend." Cultivate among employers the benefits of having a well-trained, long-term employee. Educate employers in the business community to recognize the needs to assist a good workforce. More active outreach to potential students (head start). NMC needs to partner more with the community.
Convener	Participate in consortium that helps mentor/coordinator of services. Have NMC be an incubator for great new community ideas, e.g. help develop business plan, bring necessary partners together, etc. Offer regular opportunities for Human Services Coordinating Council to meet with NMC. Increase collaboration, grant writing, program development between NMC and Human Services Coordinating Council partners. Establish a community advisory council. Increase regular dialogue between TCAPS, TBAISD and human service agencies.
Technology	Expand flexible learning programs. Increased access for videoconferencing.

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