IVC presented $1 million for law enforcement, medical courses
IMPERIAL — Students at Imperial Valley College seeking careers in the medical field or in law enforcement will benefit from $1 million in funding from the state of California that will institute a new correctional academy as well as enhance its medical assistant program.
“This funding will enable Imperial Valley College to create a correctional academy that is aligned with the state of California standards and training for corrections,” Dr. Martha Garcia, IVC superintendent and president, said during a Thursday afternoon press conference in the college administration building. “Students who successfully complete this training will be prepared to work at county jails and detention facilities. We are planning to start the correctional academy in fall 2019 with 24 students.”
The funding also will assist the college with the development of a full-time medical assistant program that will train about 30 students each year, Dr. Garcia added.
“The students will earn a certificate of achievement and will be prepared to work in hospitals, clinics and medical offices,” Dr. Garcia said.
The money is sourced from the Workforce Development in Economically Stressed Communities fund and is being awarded through the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. The money also will fund lighting on the IVC running track that will enable evening use of that facility.
Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, D-56th District, on Thursday afternoon presented a symbolic check for that amount to Dr. Garcia, during a press conference in the college administration building. Assemblyman Garcia worked in Sacramento to direct the funding to Imperial Valley College as part of the 201819 state budget.
“We are truly indebted to Assemblymember Garcia for his assistance in helping us obtain these funds,” Dr. Garcia said.
The new correctional academy and the enhanced medical program both will “have a direct correlation to the employment and economic opportunities to this region,” Assemblyman Garcia said during the conference. “Corrections [and] law enforcement certainly is a field that we know will continue to grow, not because there is a bunch of bad people, not because our goal is to continue to build more prisons as opposed to schools, but because the law enforcement arena is a place that will always need … a trained, skilled workforce.”
The correctional academy will meet the demand for future staffing of the recently opened Imperial County Sheriff’s Office standalone jail facility, Martha Garcia said in a prepared statement.
“Successful correctional academy graduates will be prepared to apply for positions in county jails and detention facilities,” she said, adding the academy will add to the law enforcement training opportunities available at IVC.
In January, IVC rounded out its Police Officer Standards and Training programs when it opened its Level One academy.
Graduation from that program qualifies students to apply for full-time positions at law enforcement agencies. Before that program opened, applicants had to leave the Valley to receive such training.
Assemblyman Garcia observed the medical field currently is experiencing a shortage in qualified workers and that the expanded program at the college will help fill that gap locally.
Currently, it takes three years for students to earn a medical assistant certificate.
This training time will be reduced by half, and the courses will incorporate new California State Medical Assistant Model Curriculum that is being developed by the chancellor’s office, according to a press release.
Assemblyman Garcia said he is committed to continue chasing down funding for community colleges in his jurisdiction, including IVC, and will “bring home the money that our taxpayers here in the county send up to Sacramento and make sure we get some proportion of it … back into our community.”
“Much more needs to be done to address the infrastructure needs that you have in the community college system,” the assemblyman continued. “Much more needs to be done to also look at the opportunities of the community college to wrap around and provide services that are above and beyond reading and writing and teaching folks the skill sets they need.”