Progress: Education, awareness key to city's growth

timesrecordnews | February 24, 2019

Two things stand out.  After pursuing the PPG expansion for years, we finally landed the project when Vitro took over.  It could have gone to any of their plants, but the company chose Wichita Falls. Last year Vitro opened their new $55 million expansion, which was the biggest private capital investment here in quite some time.  In addition, we wrapped up development of our new community-wide plan to grow Wichita Falls.  You’ll see lots of activity from that plan starting to take shape this year. Education and awareness are the key to progress, whether we’re talking about an election or not.  For any entity to get a bond passed in Wichita Falls, they’ll have to do a much better job of educating the public in advance and being available to answer questions.  Let’s hope WFISD is ready.In addition, we confirmed that younger people don’t vote in near the numbers that older voters do, even when it’s an issue they favor.  We’ve looked at the numbers, and we have plenty of younger people registered to vote.  They just don’t do it. During the campaign we saw lots of social media support for initiatives that younger people typically like, including downtown, parks and trails.  That obviously didn’t translate to votes.  As our population gets older and we develop a greater need to cater to a younger workforce, we have to figure this out.

Spotlight

The pandemic has had a dramatic effect on student enrollment. Based on a survey of K-12 and postsecondary administrators, this whitepaper focuses on experiences and predictions regarding demographic shifts.

Spotlight

The pandemic has had a dramatic effect on student enrollment. Based on a survey of K-12 and postsecondary administrators, this whitepaper focuses on experiences and predictions regarding demographic shifts.

Related News

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

Imagine Learning Launches Its Special Education Initiative

Imagine Learning | February 14, 2023

Imagine Learning, a digital curriculum solutions provider, has recently launched its new unique education initiative, Imagine AscendTM, addressing the urgent learning needs of students with disabilities across the United States. As a part of the initiative, Imagine Learning has integrated Winsor Learning, a nationally recognized provider of intervention and supplemental literacy products for the science of reading in the teaching field. Since 1997, Winsor has offered products and services for literacy intervention for dyslexic and at-risk students. It uses the Orton-Gillingham approach and supplemental whole-class literacy curriculum for K-5 grades. In addition, it offers structured literacy materials for multi-sensory reading instruction for pre-K-12 students, and more than 4,000 school districts follow them. Imagine Ascend TM, an initiative of Imagine, is an educational solution for special students, connecting digital curriculum with virtual instructors, providing a sustainable solution for district-level staffing, and increasing special education programs' graduation rates. CEO and Chairman of Imagine Learning Jonathan Grayer said, "This is a seminal moment for Imagine Learning as we commit significant time and resources to serve the needs of our most vulnerable students." He added, "The acquisition of Winsor Learning, coupled with the launch of Imagine Ascend, establishes Imagine Learning at the forefront of innovative curriculum delivery for more than seven million students with disabilities. We've seen first-hand the impact of pandemic-driven learning loss and have heard directly from our education partners that they require specialized curriculum to address the needs of students with disabilities who have been disproportionately impacted. We take the responsibility to deliver interventions for these learners seriously and our commitment remains constant: to ignite learning breakthroughs, partner with schools and teachers, support families, and to deliver improved outcomes for every learner." (Source – Business Wire) About Imagine Learning Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Imagine Learning, an e-learning solutions provider, has been empowering educators for the learning requirements of every student since 2004. It provides solutions for early learners, assessments, STEM, TEKS, state standards correlation, digital math instruction, math fluency, quantile measures, Lexile measures, common core, response to intervention, multi-sensory instruction, differentiated instruction, WIDA correlated, early childhood education, students with disabilities, struggling readers, English language learners, language, and literacy instruction. In addition, it offers core instructions, supplemental and personalized intervention courses for grade level, and digital-first K- 12 programs.

Read More

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

Interplay Learning Launches Technology-based Apprenticeship Program

Interplay Learning | February 16, 2023

On February 15, 2023, Interplay Learning, e-learning solutions provider for online and virtual training, launched a technology-based apprenticeship program with the Department of Labor's approval. This program solves the growing labor shortage and encourages employers in the skilled trades to join. This program allows employers to enroll as participating employers in the Department of Labor's Apprenticeship Program of Interplay Learning. It will create a trained workforce, increase employee retention, and eliminate traditional managemental complexities of formal apprenticeship programs. Employers can offer apprentices on-the-job training (OJT) with Interplay's digital training in a virtual classroom with technical instructions as a part of the program. The apprentices will have an impactful training experience with its video courses and 3D simulations. In addition, they will learn about new skills, effective troubleshooting, and practice in a virtual safe environment on any device like a laptop, desktop, tablet, or virtual reality headset. Founder and CEO of Interplay Learning, Doug Donovan, said, "We're thrilled to introduce our innovative, tech-forward approach to apprenticeship." He added, "With one of the first digital and off-the-shelf solutions for apprenticeships, we seek to eliminate the pain points existing today for employers, while also providing them with a powerful training solution to address the skills gap problem in the U.S. What has traditionally been complex and especially daunting for small and medium businesses, we have streamlined the process to set up an apprenticeship program and given contractors a tool to build a better-trained workforce." (Source – Cision PR Newswire) About Interplay Learning Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Interplay Learning, an e-learning provider, has been offering digital learning simulations for training, career opportunities and life experiences of customers and employees, across industries like plumbing, electrical, solar and facilities maintenance, and HVAC, since 2016. Its virtual reality interfaces engage skilled trades workers with life-like experiences, making them more confident, professional, and efficient quickly. It provides learning solutions from beginner to mastery level at the same time. It was awarded the AL Breakthrough Award for Best Use of Virtual Reality for Enterprise Applications, AHR Expo – Innovations Awards 2020 and named in the 2020 Inc. Best in Business list.

Read More

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

Springboard Partners with Gonzaga University to Deliver Tech Bootcamps

Springboard | January 27, 2023

On January 26, 2023, Springboard, an online learning platform that prepares students for in-demand careers, announced a partnership with Gonzaga University, a Jesuit liberal arts institute in Spokane (Washington), to provide students and prospective students with two bootcamps, namely Cybersecurity and Software Engineering. Employment for information security analysts and software developers is anticipated to increase over the next ten years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Sanam Raza, Vice President and General Manager of University Partnerships at Springboard, shared, "We want to do all that we can to provide the knowledge and support to meet the surge in demand for talent in these fields," She added, "We look forward to working alongside Gonzaga to help close this skills gap in the tech workforce and share in their commitment to expanding what a 21st century educational institution can do." (Source – Business Wire) This is Springboard's first university collaboration in 2023 and its tenth collaboration overall. With a proven track record of success, Springboard has emerged as a leading partner for universities looking to broaden their offerings to students through asynchronous e-learning. Springboard's exceptional, cohort-based, human-guided programs combine one-on-one mentoring with live and instructor-led lessons. Springboard's curriculum is developed by experts in the field, and students receive hands-on assistance from industry professionals as well as career coaching on how to build a network and land a job. Individuals who take the courses will gain real-world experience and create unique work portfolios. The 360-hour Cybersecurity bootcamp will cover industry fundamentals, vulnerability assessment, systems and network security, security operations, and a capstone project to demonstrate specialized skills. The Software Engineering Bootcamp covers front-end and back-end web development, databases, data structures, and algorithms, with two capstone projects included. Students in similar programs at Springboard have received job offers from companies such as Amazon, Salesforce, Google, Microsoft, and others in Fortune 100. The programs will be available to the public, and prospective students can enroll without prior industry or academic experience. Students who complete the program will be awarded an official Gonzaga University certificate. About Springboard Founded in 2013, California-based Springboard is an online learning platform that trains students for the most in-demand careers in the technology industry. More than 20,000 students in over 100 countries have used the company's systematic, mentor-led online learning programs to advance their careers. Employers such as Microsoft, Google, Meta, LinkedIn, Deloitte, Intel, IBM, and Salesforce have hired graduates from its programs. Springboard was recently included on the 2023 GSV EdTech 150 list, ranking the world's 150 most transformative digital learning growth companies.

Read More