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>> We take a look at new programs and new spaces at Bates Technical College, and speak with some of the people making it all happen.

Coming up on Bates Tech Today.

[ Music ] Welcome to Bates Tech today.

I'm your host, Phil Kane.

At Bates Tech, programs are designed to meet the needs of our community and our workforce for today and tomorrow.

This year the college has launched several new degree programs in healthcare, IT, and public safety.

We spoke with Dr. Roseann Berg, Chief Strategic Initiatives and Community Relations Officer about these new programs at Bates Tech, and what they mean for students and employers.

Hi Roseann, and welcome to today's program.

Want to talk about the four new programs that Bates Technical College is offering.

Can we speak of those a bit?

Let's start with the degree in MRI technology.

>> Sure, yes.

So starting this fall, we'll be offering a new associate's degree in MRI technology.

The degree is really unique for Washington State.

It'll be the first primary pathway MRI program.

So historically, if a student wanted to go into MRI, becoming an MRI Technologist, they would have to go through a rad tech program, or radiology tech program, and then either cross-train with their employer into MRI, or do add-on certificates.

But the Washington State laws are changing this year, which will allow for students to go directly through an MRI associate's degree.

So they're not learning all the X-ray technology, they're only learning the MRI technology, and then can take the ARRT Registry exam, and then be qualified to work as an MRI technologist at hospitals, clinics, imaging centers, anywhere that utilizes MRIs.

>> Speak a bit about the cardiovascular program and the allied fields.

>> Sure.

>> I know that's new as well and that's coming out this fall as well?

>> Exactly.

Yes.

So we have a second associate's degree which is invasive cardiovascular technology.

This isn't a field that a lot of people have heard of.

This field is somewhat similar to kind of a mashup between nursing and surgical tech.

So invasive cardiovascular tech, they work in the catheterization lab, people usually just call it a cath lab.

And so they're working with diagnostics as well as procedures such as stents or pacemakers, and then for things like atrial fibrillation, they do some procedures to diagnose and potentially treat that as well.

>> This is an expanding industry as well.

So there must be a lot of demand for that.

Are you finding there's a lot of through the industry asking about the program's content and how it relates to what's out there and how that develops?

Because it seems to be ever-changing.

>> Yes.

Both MRI tech and invasive cardiovascular tech, the technology has grown quite a lot in the past 10 years.

I'm not sure exactly how long.

And so in hearing from industry, there's an increase in need for both of these professionals, and the skills that are needed for these professionals have also modified and changed over time.

And so for each of these, they're having a lot of trouble filling these positions because they require a very specific skill set.

>> Okay.

Let's talk a little bit about the computer information security and IT project management degree.

That's a new bachelor's program?

>> Yes.

We'll be launching that as well this fall.

>> This fall.

>> So that IT -- it's computer information security and IT project management.

The name's a bit of a mouthful.

But this degree is meant to fill an emerging job role that exists in hospitals, basically every corporation, education, there's increasing amounts of cyber threats to everyone.

And so this program will help people learn about different risks and compliance and other important cyber security topics that allow companies to protect themselves better from cyber attacks, as well as manage if an attack does happen, how to recover from that and improve their systems going forward.

>> Seems to be a lot of demand, with you know, with businesses asking about those things and having experts out there.

>> Yes.

>> To address them.

>> Absolutely.

>> Okay.

And then there's a fourth degree.

And this is the Community Service and Public Safety.

That's an associate's degree that will feed into the bachelor's program that the school offers as well.

Tell us about that.

>> Yes, of course.

So that degree, like you said is an associate's in Community Services and Public Safety, which can be a great stand-alone associate's degree or give the students the option to either enter or bachelor public safety degrees, but also potentially pursue other options like social work or social welfare.

There's a shortage of workers in law enforcement, in community services, in fields like behavioral health, and social work obviously.

And so this degree will help prepare people for entry-level positions, but then also give them a path towards advanced degrees.

>> And all four of these degrees, I mean they all come with their own level of challenges and research and development for a program.

Can you talk a bit about each one of those, starting with the MRI program.

How does that work with your checking into the industry or what you're hearing from the industry, and how you go about developing that particular program for Bates?

>> Yes.

In that case, we were actually approached by an industry partner who was asking if we would be considering to develop a program in that, and letting us know about the laws changing.

And so then once I started digging in and doing the research, I did see that MRI technologist as a field separate from radiology technologist.

Has been growing a lot, and has been predicted to keep growing, up to maybe 20% in the next five years.

And some of the labor market information is a little bit challenging because a lot of times those jobs are considered rad tech jobs, but increasingly they're separate.

And so partnering with places like WorkForce Central, their access to labor market information allows us to really dive in, see the job openings are companies posting the same jobs multiple times, how long the openings are staying posted, meaning they're having trouble filling them, as well as what skills and certifications they're looking for.

>> So the research that goes into that, what does that look like?

Do you bring in leaders and/or experts in the field that will advise on how to develop the curriculum and what they're looking for?

>> Yes.

Absolutely.

I started meeting with individuals -- so individuals from hospitals and imaging centers in the case of MRI, or hospitals catheter labs and other social services for the other degrees, and just asking them what skills they're looking for, what positions are hard to fill, what their predictions are for the industry, what they've experienced in the last five years, and what they expect in the next five years.

Because that will also give us a sense of you know, what they're predicting, and what their hiring patterns are going to be.

>> And the cardiovascular technology, I would imagine, one somewhat similar to that same type of research that you would do, the same.

Is it?

>> Exactly.

Yes.

And in that case, I met with one individual at a hospital and then asked for introductions to other employees.

And so fortunately, they're all connected, so that person was a manager of their cardiovascular services and he had introduced me to people at other sites.

I heard from multiple employers that they have three vacancies that have been over a year, and they're having to bring in talent form out of state, and so that definitely helped me know that that was something we wanted to offer to our community to make sure that our residents were getting into those jobs.

>> And then we have computer information CIS -- >> Security.

>> Thank you.

And the IT project management.

That is a totally different area.

Is it somewhat similar, though, in the way you approach how to develop the program?

>> Yes.

Yes.

And on that one too, we also consulted with the Washington Technology Association, and the Washington Center for Cybersecurity.

And so both of those groups have been looking at gaps in the industry.

It's estimated that there's about 125,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs across the nation.

And so there's just no program that's preparing enough graduates.

But there are a lot of other similar bachelors degrees in cybersecurity or, you know, software development.

Things like that.

So we wanted to offer something that's a little bit different for students, and that's why we chose IT project management, because rather than the people who are directly really setting up the computers and the systems, this would be more of a leadership approach to implementing new security technologies within the organization, thinking about the financial impact, and also like, disaster recovery as well.

And that's one area that we heard from a few employers that we talked to as well as the state association.

We're hearing that from the industry.

>> And on to the community service and public safety as it feeds into -- can potentially feed into the bachelor programs.

So the research on that, describe that a bit.

>> Sure.

So I met with a couple of law enforcement agencies, like Tacoma Police Department, Seattle Police Department.

Talked to some of their recruiters about some of the challenges that they have with recruiting new policies officers as well as with the King County Sheriff's 911 telecoms, HR, and some managers of places like Tacoma Housing Authority, Metropolitan Development Council.

So more organizations who are frequently hiring people who are going to work directly with the community.

And what I heard from all of them is the same sort of skill sets they were looking for.

Conflict resolution, you know, empathy, critical thinking, report writing, and those types of skills are common across all those disciplines.

So building out a degree that would help people develop those skills and be more successful in those career, and also help them enjoy doing that work better.

>> Well, in closing, tell us what is it about these programs that inspire you as it relates to the mission of Bates Technical College.

>> Yes, absolutely.

So a lot of these jobs are in demand, you know, paying $50 or more an hour as starting wages out of an associates degree, and offer a pathway to a very rewarding career.

And so when I hear that people are importing talent from out of state or having hard-to-fill jobs, and we have community members that [inaudible] you know, we can offer these degrees and give our local community in and through these typically six-quarter programs, and they can start work as soon as they're qualified.

>> Well, Roseann thank you so much for joining us today.

>> Yes, you're welcome.

>> Great information coming out of the school Four new exciting programs to see and other choices for students to make with Bates Technical college.

Thanks again.

>> Thank you.

[ Music ] >> From healthcare and IT to public safety, Bates Tech is constantly evolving to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world.

One of the most exciting developments on the horizon is the brand new Fire Service Training Center, which is set to open in 2026.

It's more than just a building.

It's a commitment to excellence in training firefighters and emergency responders who keep our community safe.

We spoke with Bates Tech Fire Service instructor Adam Cabeza and Travis Smith, instructor in the new bachelor of Applied Science and Public Safety Administration Program.

So Adam and Travis, welcome to Bates Tech Today.

>> Thanks for having us.

>> Let's talk a bit about the fire program and the public safety degree.

Adam, with you let's talk about the new facility and what's the timeline on that, and what is the plan behind this new building?

>> Well, we're very excited.

We have a great new facility that is about to have a groundbreaking this coming May 28th.

We're looking at about an 18-month timeline to get it operational, so I think our first class should be January of 2027 where we can get things up and running.

>> So you've had a very long career, from my understanding, in the fire service.

>> Luckily, yes.

>> So can you compare this new facility for the places that you worked at, worked with in the past?

>> Thankfully, not in similarities, but in differences.

Back in the early '90s when I attended the Fire Academy, we were burning some things we probably shouldn't have been burning, pallets and hay, and maybe some flammable liquids in there, to create a real-world environment.

But from a health standard, it wasn't very good.

NFPA's made a number of changes over the years where now we're restricted to what we can burn, the materials that we can burn.

We have temperature sensors to keep people safe so nobody can get hurt in training.

We have exhaust fans that are mandatory, so the facility is as state-of-the-art as we could hope for for today's needs.

But also we've tried to anticipate future needs for the fire service.

>> Can you talk about some of the real-world training opportunities that's being offered to the students?

How does work?

>> Yes.

So we have a number of really good real-world props.

We'll be using nine Class B props, which is flammable gases.

We'll be able to create bedroom scenarios, we'll be able to create commercial structure scenarios, high-rise structure, two-story residence, single-story residence, garage fires.

So we could really anticipate the needs of what that firefighter will see in the future when they get their position in the fire service.

And then make sure that they've had the proper training in each one of those scenarios.

>> It's always fascinating with -- you saying like, you know, a bedroom situation, where you virtually, literally are burning down a bedroom.

The reconstruction on that, do you have to go back the next day and find new mattresses and new furniture [inaudible]?

>> No, what's good about the props is they're all reusable.

They're made of high-strength steel.

And they have water in them to keep the steel from actually being damaged.

When the propane burns, it burns at a very, very hot temperature.

And we can heat up a room.

WE also can smoke up a room, or we can even turn on the sound system where we can simulate maybe we have a coughing victim who needs to be rescued from the room, or maybe we have a smoke detector going off, which can disorient firefighters when they're hearing all the different sounds.

So it's not something that needs to be reset.

It's something that we can actually turn around, do a quick debrief after a drill and go back and do it again.

>> And it touches on the hands-on training that goes with that.

So can you talk ab it about why that's so critical?

>> Well, firefighting is a technical job.

It's something that you can't just read a book and say okay, now I know how to fight a fire.

You actually had to have some experience with that hose line in your hand.

We put our SCBA mask on, our gloves, our helmets, all our personal protective equipment.

We're handling hoses.

We're thinking about the building we're about to enter.

What's on fire, where's the fire?

Could there be a victim?

We can't be thinking each skill, can I do this perfectly?

I have to do it while I'm multitasking.

So technical training, repetitions, going and doing your SCBA 200, 300 times in a year, practicing.

Putting your hose, getting your hose in the proper positioning.

Moving that hose.

That's all-important to that muscle memory we need when we're in a stressful situation and we can't really think about hey, am I doing this correctly?

>> I see.

So Travis.

>> Yes.

>> You've had a pretty fascinating career across multiple public safety fields.

How does the BAS program reflect that with today's safety landscape.

Can you help describe that a bit?

>> So for 30 years, I've served a multiple of different tasks in public safety.

I've ben a firefighter, a paramedic, a reserve police officer, a soldier, and over all that time, there's one thing that's remained evident, and that is that public safety is not static.

It evolves; it changes.

And it's probably most poignantly so is in school shootings.

Emergencies don't care what your title or your position s. In a dynamic situation like school shooting, multiple agencies have to work together in what had been otherwise separate roles 30 years ago to conduct rescues.

So you have rescue taskforces in which police and fire join one group.

Firefighters don helmets and bulletproof vests and police officers help remove victims.

Traditionally different roles, but they have to collaborate together.

And so our program seeks to instills in students this ability to coordinate, ability to communicate across roles.

Not just to understand their roles, but to understand how to lead other roles.

>> Can you talk a bit about the different -- the diverse paths that the program is offering as far as you know, cybersecurity, public safety, and how you prepare the students for that?

>> Yes.

I think the first thing that we do is, we teach them that leadership is not -- regardless of the field, is not about rank.

It's not about necessarily seniority.

It's about relationships, it's about decision-making.

It's about trust.

I've served in, as well as Adam, in scenes where you have to make decisions as a team in moments or somebody dies, right?

We've also served where you're on teams that take weeks to months to create a new policy, a new program.

And the leadership display there is the same.

It's all built on that same principles that I mentioned earlier, right?

Having a relationship with your stakeholders, having the ability to make decisive decisions and trust in your team.

And that's what our program will instill in our students so that when they come out, whether or not they're managing public health data, or leading at team into a hazardous environment, they can do that will confidence.

>> And do you integrate social justice elements into the training?

Describe that.

How does that -- >> I think that is an absolute core component of what we do.

Because we're all in public safety.

>> Right.

>> And we serve the public and police the public.

The public's comprised of every race, every gender, every ability, every national origin.

And our program helps instill the knowledge and the skills to serve everybody in the community.

It's beyond just the basic firefighting, right?

We talk about ethics and leadership and some of the other skills.

And with those we'll be able to serve everybody.

And when all arms of public safety -- law enforcement, cyber, fire -- are all working cohesively then that's when I think our society's at its best.

And if I could throw out a quote, Teddy Roosevelt said, the welfare of each of us is fundamentally dependent on the welfare of all of us.

>> Great quote.

>> So it's [inaudible] -- yes.

>> Can you describe for us what sets this program apart from similar programs?

>> Yes.

I mean, there's a lot of quality programs in the region.

But what sets our program apart, some of the things Adam talked about is click ability.

We have faculty that have lived and experienced these jobs for real for 30 years.

It's just not theory, right?

And our other thing that I'm really excited about is our accessibility.

We're very flexible.

The majority of our classes are online.

They're taught live with a professor.

And we get the ability to network with other public safety -- police, fire, EMS, cybersecurity -- folks.

Build those relationships.

And so our students in our program are, you know, are offering communication skills, coordination skills.

We're practical, we're flexible, and we're relevant.

>> Let's talk a bit about the inspirational side of things.

Adam, can you describe what it means to you to be preparing the students for the program?

>> Oh, sure.

>> For the future generations?

>> I was lucky enough to join the fire service after another career in the travel industry that the internet kind of came and changed the landscape there.

So I needed to make the move.

I was a little older than most.

I was 31 years old when I got hired in the fire service.

So it's afforded me an opportunity, a second chance.

And I've been able to live a very blessed life, comfortable.

Benefits, thankfully.

And my family is secure.

So I've wanted to give something back to the fire service.

And seeing some of these students who have that same desire to do what I wanted to do and try and shape them a little bit, give them some guidance on what they can expect when they get into the fire service, what's mythical like what they see on TV, and what's reality.

Like Travis mentioned, people do die.

We see things that a lot of people don't normally see.

So we have critical [inaudible] stress management classes now.

We just take a lot of pride in preparing that next generation for continuing a career that's been basically 250 years since Ben Franklin started it.

>> Wow.

Thank you for that.

Travis, you get to wrap it up.

Tell us, any moments of inspiration, or anything you can point to that kind of helps keep the drive going [inaudible]?

>> I think we're both here for the same reason, and that's to pay it forward.

Back in the '90s, I graduated from Bates, from the fire service program.

>> Oh, okay.

>> So I'm an alum.

And the mentors there -- I'm still in contact with some of them, and they've shaped my career.

They've guided my leadership style.

It's here that I learned to be a lifelong learner.

And now that I'm at the twilight of my career, at the other half, it's been really cool, because recently I've had a student thank me for the time that we're investing in them.

To see students getting hired, it's good to truly pay it back, pay it forward.

Because we have been blessed with a lifetime in the fire service and public safety in general.

And I think ultimately that's what both the building will help facilitate, our bachelor's of public safety administration, that program will help facilitate.

And that's building a legacy of service.

>> Travis and Adam, thank you so much for joining us today.

>> Thank you.

[ Music ] >> From launching new programs to building state-of-the-art facilities, Bates Technical College is committed to preparing students for the careers of tomorrow right here and right now.

We hope you've enjoyed this edition of Bates Tech Today.

You can watch this episode again at kbtc.org and at batestech.edu.

And we'll leave you with just one more thing.

Bates Tech offers the only college barber program in the state of Washington.

It's a cutting edge industry with a lot of growth.

Take a look at Cuts That Make the Grade.

For KBTC and Bates Technical College, I'm Phil Kane.

Thanks for watching.

>> Bates Technical College is the oldest barber program in Pierce County.

The barber program opened in 1950.

>> It's accredited.

That means students can get financial aid and grants, loans, all that stuff.

So that's what sets us apart from other barber programs in the area.

The way our program works is, the first three months, the students are working on mannequins.

Their second, third, and fourth quarters, they transition to working with real clients on the floor.

It gives them the real-world experience that they're going to need.

There's no other way to get practice at being a barber than working with actual clients.

>> Yes.

Sometimes it gets really busy.

We cut hair from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30.

We open the doors and it's free for anyone.

Anyone of all ages, any kind of hair, any texture, anything like that.

>> I believe it's important to keep the shop open to the public and free of charge.

Pre-COVID, we charged for haircuts.

I was approached and asked if I wanted to bring the fee back, but I said no, and I think that it's a testament to who Bates is by offering the service for free.

The culture around barbershops has changed extremely.

Since the invention of social media, people have been able to shed light on the craft, on our industry.

So with growth comes changes.

It was about community, not saying it's not anymore, but it's more focused on the invidious and the client.

Instead of the communal aspect where you have a bunch of barbers in a shop.

So we're keeping that tradition alive like our shop is set up here.

>> Oh, it helps me in a lot of ways, like relationship-wise.

Because you know, barbering isn't just cutting hair.

Coming in and you're meeting new people all the time.

The barber chair is the only place that some people have to freely speak their mind and where they're the boss.

>> Open conversation, open dialog with your customers is very important.

All a haircut is is communication.

>> And that was something I really wasn't good at.

Now I get to know about all these different people's lives.

Every day.

And it's something I didn't expect.

[ Music ] >> Bates Tech Today is supported in part by viewers like you.

Thank you.