EGCC, Angels for Animals Partner for New Vet Tech Program
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Eastern Gateway Community College, in partnership with Angels for Animals, looks to train the veterinarian technicians needed to fill in-demand local jobs.
Through the partnership, EGCC will use the organization’s Angel Place in Canfield for clinical training “to develop the next wave of registered vet techs,” says Arthur Daly, senior vice president of EGCC.
The 13,500-square-foot facility includes shelter/adoption center, spay and neuter services and a full-service veterinary clinic, including operating theaters and classrooms.
“One of the biggest needs that we have here at Angels for Animals is educated, licensed staff,” says Diane Less, founder of Angels for Animals Inc. “Our operation here depends upon veterinarians. We need them to work in our vet clinic and do surgery.”
EGCC’s vet tech program will provide the support staff that the organization needs, Less says.
“The vet tech program is a really great model for the work we are doing at Eastern Gateway Community College, specifically partnering with local businesses and industries to build the region’s 21st century workforce,” said EGCC President Michael Geoghegan. “This program provides our students with a world-class clinical experience that will prepare them for in-demand jobs.”
The challenge, says John Crooks, EGCC’s senior vice president of academic affairs, is encouraging students to apply early and have the prerequisites finished.
“We’re going to have 16 students in the first cohort,” Crooks says. “We’re looking at potentially 30 to 50 applicants for that first cohort. So it’s going to be very competitive, very successful and meet the needs of the area, particularly this facility.”
EGCC will begin accepting applications in the early part of Spring 2021 and the first cohort will begin in Fall 2021. The program required 30 to 40 hours of volunteer work before applicants can enter the program, Daly notes.
For more on EGCC’s vet tech program, watch the video above.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
