Certificates in Tiers

Two students start Meat Cutting training on the same Monday, yet they finish the requirements and graduate, receiving the same certificate, two months apart. In another department, three students enroll in the same Computer Technology Programs training cluster; one receives the target Computer Terminal Operator certificate, one earns a "higher" certificate with more complex competencies-Microcomputer Software Operator-and one becomes a completer of the lower Introductory Computer Skills program. All three begin jobs in the same industry within one month of their graduation dates.

At the Maricopa Skill Center, the non-credit curriculum is structured in tiers, or groups of competencies. Each has a certificate name related to the kind of job it will lead to and a program length listed in clock hours. Clock hours are instructor estimates of the time it will take the average learner with no prior experience to learn and demonstrate the skill sets represented in that certificate.

Instruction is skill-based and job-focused, designed to lead directly to a job, advancement, or certification, with students acquiring the skills they will need on the job through hands-on learning in a working classroom/training lab. Students graduate when they can demonstrate their performance at a "job-ready" level.

An example is the set of Accounting certificates available to Skill Center students (see box). Each is listed in clock hours, and also in 35-hour weeks, illustrating the estimated program length if a student chooses the standard seven-hour day, five-day/week schedule. The open-entry/open-exit, self-paced format permits a five-hour day, 25-hour week, as well as part time schedules.

Computerized Accounting Programs

• Focus: accounting principles, practices and payroll applications, computerized practice sets.
• Includes: keyboarding, computer literacy, computer ten key, clerical skills, bookkeeping, accounting, payroll, manual accounting, computerized accounting, spreadsheets, data base, word processing, internet, accounts receivable, accounts payable, general ledgers, journals, and tax preparation.
• Positions: accounting clerks, receivable and payable clerks, bookkeepers, credit clerks, payroll clerks, accounting data entry, general office/ accounting duties.

Introductory Accounting Skills - 420 hrs/12 weeks

	Keyboarding	Computer Ten Key	Calculator Operation
	Computer Filing	Decision Making Skills	Microsoft Word
	Ten Key Applications	Windows	Accounting Principles
	Accounting Cycle	Introduction to Peachtree	Financial Statements

Computerized Accounting Clerk - 630 hours/18 weeks (All of the above, plus:)

	Accounting Cycle using worksheets, adjust/close entries		Customer Service Skills
	Accounts Receivables	Banking Procedures	General Ledgers
	Special Journals	Accounts Payables	Accounting with Peachtree
	Accounting with Microsoft Excel

Computerized Accounts Receivable Clerk - 700 hours/20 weeks (All of the above, plus:)
Accounts Receivable Applications with Peachtree

Computerized Accounts Receivable/Payable Clerk - 770 hours/22 weeks (All of the above, plus:)
Accounts Payable Applications with Peachtree

Computerized Accounting/Payroll Clerk - 875 hours / 25 weeks (All of the above, plus:)

	Payroll with Peachtree	Computing Wages	Social Security Taxes
	Federal Income Taxes	Peachtree Applications	FUTA / SUTA Taxes

Computerized Accounting/Payroll Associate - 980 hours/28 weeks** (All of the above, plus:)

	Merchandise Inventory	Bad Debts	Taxes and Forms
	Notes Receivable	Notes Payable	Basic Tax Preparation
	Introduction to Quickbooks	Introduction to Turbo Tax

** College credits: through an articulation agreement with GateWay Community College

Meeting Diverse Student Needs

The Skill Center's hands-on, modularized instruction is offered on an open-entry/open-exit schedule. Students start class any week, year-round, and graduate on the Friday after they have completed the competencies for their certificate, usually in five to seven months. (An exception is the 12-month Practical Nursing program that starts students three times a year in more traditional 16-week classes.)

Flexible scheduling is the norm-6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in some departments, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in others. Students have the choice of the 5- or 7-hour day, with both being Pell grant eligible. Eager students may begin training immediately if space is available, while others may begin any Monday that fits their schedule. Each works at his or her own pace, including those who need more time to learn or have a limited educational background. Students pay monthly for the actual hours spent in training during the past month. Those who need additional time to learn may pay more but are not pressured to keep up with any group. The modular format and small group demonstration process enable students to start at their own levels and work at each portion of the training at a different pace.

Employer Connections

The greater Phoenix area offers a large employer base in the 12 training areas offered at MSC:

• Banking
• Computerized Office Procedures
• Computer Technology Programs
• Food Preparation
• Meat Cutting
• Medical Assistant
• Nursing
• Auto Body
• Facilities Maintenance
• Machine Trades
• Printing Trades
• Welding.

While the Skill Center maintains a Career Center with numerous job postings, employer data bases and job search tips, many employers contact the training departments directly when hiring, enabling the instructors to refer students to job environments in which they are most likely to succeed, resulting in a win-win-win for all three parties: the student, the employer, and the training institution. Successful hiring experiences cement teacher-employer relationships, ensuring a continuous flow of the kind of information needed to keep the training up-to-date and relevant to employer needs.

Educational Career Ladders

For many MSC students, the primary goal is short-term training that leads directly to employment with the opportunity to learn and grow on the job. For those whose goal is further education, articulation agreements with Maricopa Community Colleges offer a shortcut to college credit certificates or two-year degree programs. These pathways are most frequently used in Accounting, Machining, Medical Assistant, Nursing, and Welding.