USU-Southwest Adds Two "Work Now" Certificates
In an effort to provide residents throughout Southwest Utah with work skills that can be immediately used in the work force, Utah State University-Southwest has added two new certificate programs – Digital Design and Web Business.
“In addition to traditional degrees, we’ve seen a huge need to provide our community with training and skills they can use to go to work,” said USU-Southwest’s Dean and Executive Director, Steve Hawks. “These certificates give people very tangible skills making them immediately more employable. And, USU now allows students to apply these certificate credits toward earning an associate degree.”
These new certificates are part of USU-Southwest’s expanded career and technical education (CTE) offerings which provide students with practical skills and training for a variety of in-demand careers. According to Hawks, the new certificates may also be “stacked”, or combined with other coursework and general education classes to earn an associate degree from USU.
The Board of Regents recently approved the addition of the programs which will diversify the CTE offerings available at USU. Each of the CTE certificates require 16-19 credit hours of coursework, and provides hands-on training to prepare students for entry-level employment in sectors with strong potential for career growth in Beaver, Bicknell, Delta, Ephraim, Junction, Kanab, Milford, Nephi, Panguitch and Richfield.
“CTE provides students with technical skills relating to industry along with practical skills for the workplace, including critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork,” stated Stephanie Dahlstrom, USU-Southwest’s CTE coordinator. “We are excited to now offer these certificates because there is a huge need for these skills in nearly every small business across Southwest Utah.”
The digital design certificate teaches students the fundamentals of website design, digital video production, graphics and communications technologies related to the development of marketing collateral. Students are provided with the initial tools to enhance business marketing through the latest digital equipment and software. The certificate can be applied towards an associate degree in IT support and web development.
The web business certificate prepares students for a career in web development. Students learn the necessary skills to create, design and manage web pages for a business. They also learn technical components related to the performance, capacity and measurement of a website’s speed and traffic capabilities. Employment of web developers is projected to grow as e-commerce continues to expand, and online purchasing is expected to grow faster than the traditional brick and mortar retail industry. The certificate can also be applied towards an associate degree in IT support and web development.
These new certification programs are the result of the 2015 Utah Cluster Acceleration Partnership (UCAP) grant award, a program designed to strengthen collaboration between education, industry and economic development. The UCAP program provides funding to public postsecondary educational institutions to develop educational programs that are responsive to regional and statewide needs.
For more information about CTE programs available in your area contact Stephanie Dahlstrom at stephanie.dahlstrom@usu.edu or call 435-259-7432.
Comments and questions regarding this article may be directed to the contact person listed on this page.
