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

Thank you.

>> You'll meet one of Bates Tech's first public safety administration BAS graduates, learn about the newly expanded Bates barber program, and hear about new advancements in the Bates IT and cloud computing career pathway.

Up next on Bates Tech Today.

[ Music ] Welcome to Bates Tech Today.

I'm your host, Phil Kane.

Bates Tech's Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Public Safety Administration is the only one of its kind in Washington state.

It equips students with the technical skills, leadership strategies, and management expertise needed to tackle the challenges of today's public safety landscape.

We spoke with one of the first graduates of the BAS program, Cajetan Martin.

Welcome to the program.

>> Awesome.

>> So you're making history as one of the first graduates of the Bates Tech public safety administration BAS program.

What kind of milestone does that mean for you?

>> Yeah, personally, I'm excited.

We're towards the tail end of this.

It's been quite the journey.

You know, working full-time as a firefighter here in Pierce County and going to school full-time, being a husband and a father, just balancing all that.

I'm excited for it to be almost over and, you know, there's probably dishes waiting for me to get washed.

I probably forgot to take out the trash or something, but -- >> What does it mean for you personally, you know, with your journey into this program and how you're balancing those things out?

>> It's been awesome.

Professionally, you know, it's -- this program couldn't have came at a perfect time in my career, from graduating the fire service program and going through probation and the fire academy.

It's -- like I said, yeah, came at a perfect time.

>> How did that experience going through the fire program help you prepare for this next step?

>> It definitely gave me, like, credible reps.

You know, from drilling on the drill ground to going through the academy, we learned pretty much the same -- almost to the same standard.

And, you know, they gave me a controlled environment to make mistakes.

And I carried on those experiences through probation, and my mind has been primed for absorbing a lot of information in such a short time.

And I just rolled right into this program, and it's been awesome.

>> And you've been working through this degree program.

Is that correct?

>> Yes, I have.

>> How is that working with what you've been learning from the BAS program and applying that to your regular -- >> Yeah, we touched a wide range of topics and not just fire service specific.

You know, we talked a lot about public safety technology and communication systems.

And I carry a radio every day at work.

And understanding, like, the infrastructure that goes behind to support that stuff, that equipment.

It definitely gives me a better appreciation for, like, my administration and my support staff and what they do behind the scenes to make me a better, you know, first responder out in the field.

>> What skills or knowledge gained through the public safety program do you think will have the biggest impact on your career?

>> Yeah, so definitely we discussed a lot of ethical dilemmas in the public safety sector.

You know, one of the biggest takeaways for me was all our classroom discussions, and everybody's different opinions on things, and how we're presented with a problem, and everyone has different solutions to that problem.

And so, you know, I take those shared experiences, and I just put that in my toolbox so that it, you know, I can draw from that in the future.

>> So, with students that are currently working in public safety or considering the BAS pathway, what would you tell them about continuing their education and building their own careers?

>> Yeah, I definitely -- if you're considering it or, you know, I say why not go all in because, you know, if not now, then when?

I definitely recommend it.

It's been a challenge for me, right?

You don't have to punish yourself like how I did and do it full-time.

But as long as you have, like, a great support network and -- you know, I give credit to my wife, who's been supporting everything and, you know, taking care of everything at home.

>> It's a big load, too.

>> A hundred percent.

And even my crew members, you know, there's times where during shift I'd be doing homework, and I'd be like, "I need two hours before -- I need to submit this by midnight."

And they'd be like, "You know, take your time, and we'll take care of everything."

You know, just from my family to watching the kids during, you know, during the week, just so I can have peace and quiet at home to write essays.

It's been -- yeah, like, definitely having a good support system has made me what I am today.

>> You've got a military background.

Did that help inform you going into the public safety program?

Were there things about your military experience that maybe informed you or addressed some path that you were thinking of before?

>> Yeah, we definitely had -- leadership, right, was a big principle in our program.

And I was able to draw experiences from working in a small team and having subordinates in the military, and kind of bridge those experiences.

>> If there was anything you could, you know, say to students to inspire them, either with the students and crew you work with right now, what are those things that you find that help carry on that inspiration with what you do and sharing that passion?

Is there anything you can share with the students?

>> What motivated me is basically, you know, to be the best version of myself.

You know, the community deserves the best firefighter when they, you know, respond to the scene.

And so I want to be the best version of myself and, you know, out in the streets and in life.

And so I'm all in when it comes to stuff like this.

>> Terrific.

Well, anything else you want to add?

>> [Inaudible] I appreciate it.

Thank you.

>> Okay.

Well, thanks for joining us today.

>> Yes.

Awesome.

>> Thanks, Cajetan.

>> Yeah.

[ Music ] >> The Bates Barber School offers the most comprehensive hands-on education in the field.

Students prepare to become a licensed barber while learning, working, and managing the business end of the college's on-campus barbershop.

And it's a barbershop that serves the public.

We spoke with Bates Tech barber instructor Albert Carrillo.

Hello, Albert.

Welcome.

Welcome to the program.

>> Thank you for having me.

>> So you worked through the Bates program as a student and then came back as an instructor.

Can you talk a bit about what inspired you to come back and teach what you know?

>> Definitely.

So I'll start out first, right?

Like, when I got into barbering in the very beginning, I honestly didn't know if this was going to be a career that was going to fulfill, you know, my family, myself, or even just the purpose of going into it, you know?

So we looked, we searched, we found Bates.

Bates was, like, one of the only schools that had a barbering program, so we took that.

We jumped into it.

And as a student, it was very -- it was exciting.

We had an amazing teacher, Mr.

Olson.

And I learned so much in that program in the very beginning, from time management, from -- biggest thing I always say is how to serve customers.

And then once I finished graduating from there, I went into the field.

I opened up my own barbershop in 2015.

Did about, like, 10 years, and I told myself one day I'm going to be back at this school to come and help out, right?

It wasn't a mindset to think of, like, I want to be an instructor yet, because I was -- honestly, I was really nervous to be able to speak in front of people.

So I did 10 years into the field, opened up the barbershop, did a bunch of training.

I've learned so much education outside of the program.

And then I told myself, "You know what?

I want to go back to the barber program."

And one thing that I really wanted was to encourage the next generation coming up.

A lot of these new techniques, a lot of new hairstyles come in.

And so being able to get educated after school and bring it back to help and encourage the next generation is something that I really -- I wanted to do.

I feel like, you know, I've been blessed to be able to have these skills and take in the knowledge and the wisdom.

And so why not pour it back into the students and help them, right?

>> So you have that perspective as a student as well as an instructor.

Can you describe how the barber program or the industry has evolved over the years?

>> Yeah.

So when we first started out, I always say that there is three types of styles that we have to understand.

You know, we live in the Pacific Northwest, where it's a military base, right?

So military haircuts.

We got our traditional haircuts.

And then we have our urban style haircuts.

In the very beginning, things used to be short, right?

Things were short cut, just something like what I have on right now.

And then I started seeing a shift in the industry of longer hair started coming in.

Men started wearing their hair longer.

So getting educated on top of those things was going to be important.

So I dove in to finding more education on those longer styles.

Because one of the biggest things that we try to do is bridge everything together.

The traditional, the military, and the urban style haircuts all together.

>> Do you ever look back over pictures and look at the different styles and either, I don't know, laugh at them or just say, "Hey, this is coming back."

Do you ever have any kind of perspective talks with students like that?

>> That's one thing that we do into the program, right?

We take a look at different hairstyles, right?

Because as you get into the program, you don't know what you're going to get into.

You don't know what kind of styles people are going to have.

So taking it back from men wearing short hair to mid-length to long hair, and being able to see the versatile haircuts that a man can wear.

Same thing with -- we do women's haircuts as well, from short to long.

And so being able to identify those types of styles, it creates the barber to have that vision before they execute that haircut.

>> Let's talk about relationships within the system, within the business.

Can you describe how you go about engaging students in getting out there and meeting with businesses as they're going through the program?

How does that work when it comes to eventual career pathway?

>> Yeah, so one of the things that we try to do is we try to build the gap, obviously, with school and then in the industry.

We always let the students know, right, you have to go network.

You have to go talk to shop owners.

Getting out there into the community so then that way, they know who you are.

So we also try to have those industry conversations, right?

How does a business run?

How do you do your bookkeeping?

How do you manage your clients?

What do you do when you deal with difficult clients?

All those things come into real talk inside the barber program.

Depending on what chapter we're on, but we try to take those real-life scenarios and then bring them into the classroom.

Also, we've had a couple barbershop owners or just barbers coming in and connecting with the students, so then that way, students and owners can have this connection with each other, especially locally, right?

It's really important for us to connect locally so then that way, the students can go and trust and be in an environment that they're comfortable to be in.

>> So taking that back another step with students that are, you know, considering possibly a number of careers and getting their attention on the barber career.

What would you say to those aspiring students about their aspirations and how they could make that work for themselves in their career?

>> I would think this, that barbering is really difficult, right?

Barbering could be difficult.

It's a brand new skill.

It requires a lot of hands-on training, right?

The beautiful thing about the Bates program is that, you know, we just got this expansion.

We got new chairs.

We got new clients coming in, so they get a real feel of what the barber shop feels like.

But one of the biggest things that one of my mentors always told me is that, you know, the energy that you put into the program, right, or into anything, barbering we're talking about, the energy that you put in is the energy that you're going to receive.

So it does take grind.

It does take the hands-on training, right?

It takes the understanding of how to run the business.

It takes understanding how to communicate to clients and serve the clients.

If you don't put that all together and you just focus on just one thing, it is going to be a little difficult.

So the biggest encouragement that I always tell everybody is, you know, come into the program, work hard for it, right?

You only have a thousand hours, but those thousand hours isn't just to finish.

Those thousand hours is to get you through the basic fundamentals.

So then that way -- what I like to say is we want to make you comfortable behind the chair so you can service your customers.

And then potentially, you know, be a business owner, be a leader, be a mentor, be financially stable for your family.

>> Not to mention lifetime customers.

>> Definitely.

They're going to their barber like they're going to their doctor.

You know, I mean, you get a real personal relationship going with them because then you know their hair.

>> And that's one of the biggest things that we talk about, right?

Like, consultation is huge.

The connection that you have with the client is huge because if you can't retain your customers, then it's going to be really difficult to make income for yourself.

>> Albert, this is a great chat.

Thank you so much.

And you obviously love what you do, so thanks for joining us today.

>> Thank you.

[ Music ] >> The Bates IT training program is an ever-evolving career pathway that offers students the opportunity to build on foundational knowledge through IT and cloud computing courses before choosing a specialized career path.

Bates Tech software development instructor Milton Cruz shares his thoughts on the program and insights towards emerging technologies.

Hi, Milton.

Welcome to the program.

>> Hey, how's it going?

Good.

>> Going well.

Thank you.

Bates Tech has recently introduced the new IT and cloud computing pathways to give students a chance to look at specializations.

Can you walk us through how these pathways are structured and how it can help benefit the students making those decisions on a career path and a specialization?

>> Sure.

Definitely.

We simplified the process so that students have an ability to really focus on developing the fundamental IT skills necessary for the industry.

Once they have developed those fundamental IT skills, they have the ability to either branch into cybersecurity or software development.

Our software development program is specializing in AI specifically now.

However, it's important for our students to have networking skills, also core IT skills, and also cloud computing skills because the industry has been moving in that direction for the last decade or so.

>> So you came from the industry through software development.

What drew you to software development, and what kind of drives your passion about teaching the students what you know?

>> Yes, I've had about good 13 years of experience in software development.

Overall, I've had about 15 years of experience in IT.

I actually had -- I was driven by an introduction to computing class in my associate's degree.

I was taking a associate's degree in the technical college in my local area of LA.

And one of the classes that I had to take was a really basic programming class.

And I had a chance to actually develop a simple calculator.

But I was really drawn to the fact that I had written the code, also, and had it run and then had it work and actually was able to interact with it, right?

And I really saw the power of computing.

And from there, I've actually spent a lot of time honing my skills.

At this point, I felt like transitioning to being able to teach at a technical school was a good opportunity for me because I want to be able to also help students who are just getting into the field.

I think I have a lot of skill sets and knowledge that I've gained throughout the years I spent in the industry.

And so this has been a good opportunity for me to actually now show and guide students as they're getting into the industry as well.

>> And with that background and what you have seen changing over the years, this is the big one coming, right?

AI and how it's working into the programs.

Can you describe a bit how you're teaching students about working with AI and other emerging type technologies?

>> Yeah, definitely.

You know, just to put things into perspective, AI is integrated into our development environments now.

So if you are getting stuck or just need some guidance, you could easily prompt AI to help you.

I don't really necessarily see it any different from when I started.

When I started, we would -- at the time, the biggest thing was Google.

We would Google everything.

If I had a problem, I would have to Google it.

If I didn't know how to do something, then I would have to Google it as well.

So now the fact that AI is built into our development environment, it's capable of helping us resolve problems when we run into problems.

Also, it's capable of actually auto-completing some of our code once we've written a couple lines of code.

So the way that I see it is important for students to embrace the fact that this is a tool for us to use and to not necessarily fight it because it's there to help you and to become more productive.

>> So, with students being interested in technology as a whole, but they're not sure about software development or cybersecurity, can you talk a bit about how you can help them discover their strengths?

>> Sure.

>> And with AI kind of in the background, it seems like that could be a fear factor with that, that, you know, to -- you know, you know.

>> Right.

Right.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think with AI in the background, I think there is that fear, but it's important that we understand that AI for us is a tool.

And it's important for us to use it as a tool.

I know in cybersecurity and software development, we are using AI in our day-to-day now.

But you still need to know fundamental skills and rules.

So the fact that we've incorporated sort of like a core set of courses that teaches students IT fundamentals and networking skills and also cloud skills, it allows students to choose what is the best path for them, right?

And these core skills are important for any job that they choose in the IT industry.

>> So starting out with foundational IT and cloud computing -- -- having that full educational pathway must be a great option for them.

And with the school offering that from start to finish, can you describe how that works, you know, with the BAS program, how it leads up to that?

>> Yeah, so once you complete our associate's degree here at Bates, you could transfer to our BAS program, right?

And it's actually a great opportunity for students to continue in their education here at Bates, right?

Credits are transferable to Bates, and they're able to continue.

We have several options and bachelor's degree programs available here at Bates.

>> So with your passion, with your career path as you've taken it, what are those things you find as inspirational as you're teaching students, as they feed that back to you?

What are you finding some inspirational stories?

>> Yeah, I think for me, one of the ones that I really have -- just because he's been really close and he's one of, like, the first students that I had a chance to interact with -- is a 60-year-old man who suffered a horrific injury at work and decided to transition his career, right?

It's been really helpful to see how AI has helped him overcome his learning disabilities.

And so it's been great to see him actually embrace AI, and also, you know, being able to guide him through that process has been really helpful for me.

And it's been inspirational just to see him have those aha moments like, "Oh, hey, I get this now.

Like, I could totally do this."

And I'm like, "Yes, you can," you know.

And I'm super happy for him.

He's actually going to pursue his bachelor's degree.

And it's something that I'm, like, really happy and excited to just tune into and see where he's actually going to be.

He actually has a capstone class coming up next quarter, and he's already sent me his ideas.

So I know that he's already thinking into the future.

>> Milton, thank you very much for joining us.

>> Thank you.

I appreciate it.

[ Music ] >> A new BAS degree in public safety administration, becoming a barber, specialties in IT and cloud computing.

These are just a few of the diverse opportunities waiting for you at Bates Tech.

Check out the Bates Tech website for more information on these and other exciting programs.

We hope you 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.

Did you know Bates Tech is the only college in Washington state that offers a nationally accredited denturist program?

Bates students train to become licensed specialists who make, fit, and repair complete and partial removable dentures.

Here's a bite of video you can really sink your teeth into.

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

Thanks for watching.

>> We are now at the denturist clinic where we see our patients and train our students with hands-on skills.

So the students are trained to schedule an appointment for patients, handling all the business-related aspects.

The denturist program is the only one in the country actually provides this type of, like, hands-on training.

So when the students walk in, in the very beginning, they don't really have a full understanding of the process.

They think maybe the instructor himself will do the job, everything, and they will just be watching.

But actually, it's like an in-house training.

So everything is like in a one-stop shop.

So the students will get to learn the technical and the clinical aspects of that training.

They improve their social skills, work on their communication skills with patients.

Besides the chairside experience, so they take impressions, they take jaw relations, and deliver and provide all the auxiliary services associated with the denture treatment to the patients.

Most of our patients come to us, like, in our free dental days.

Every time we hold a dental day here at Bates Technical College, it turns out, like, a great success.

The students get to know what the real-life training looks like.

And also the patients are getting free dental solutions where they can, their dentures relined, repaired, consultations.

So the patients will walk out with a smile.

That's something that is life-changing experience.

And also the rewarding thing as well is the student themselves, they find out that they can actually create and provide something that will positively impact people's lives with their own hands.

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

Thank you.