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

Thank you.

>> -- hear about Bates Tech marking 35 years as a part of Washington State's community and technical college system, and learn about the school's partnership with the Healthcare Training Fund and the new Youth Behavioral Health Apprenticeship, up next on Bates Tech Today.

[ Music ] Welcome to Bates Tech Today.

I'm your host, Phil Kane.

Tom George serves as a member of Bates Technical College's Board of Trustees.

He taught as a Bates instructor, served as a Director of IT, and before all of that was a Bates student himself.

We discuss Bates' transition from the Tacoma School District to the state community and technical college system, and how things were before and after the move.

Hi, Tom.

Welcome back to Bates Tech Today.

>> Oh, thank you very much.

I'm glad to be here.

>> So Tom, you've spent decades with the school from a student to an instructor to the Director of IT, and now you serve on the Board of Trustees.

Take us back to 1991 when the transition began.

What was it like at Bates?

>> Well, when the transition took place, during that time, I was instructing the beginning of what was, I would say, the Computer Maintenance Program.

I was originally hired to teach Industrial Electronics, but because technology started moving and we needed to facilitate that workforce for the industry, I was in that area.

What had happened was we were hearing about the transition.

Then the transition occurred in '91.

The legislature implemented the program where all five technical institutes from the Tacoma School District went into the college system.

The new board was started, which was the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges.

It was a new thing for us, and the fear was there because we didn't know.

A lot of people didn't know what was going to happen.

They were afraid they were going to lose their jobs because there were a lot of rumors floating around.

The state legislature assured that the transition would be smooth, and everything would be taken into consideration, especially our mission -- our mission to serve students and to develop the workforce for the community.

That mission stayed constant.

We didn't have to worry about that.

>> Can you talk about the transition for the students and how that went?

Oh, yeah.

Students also, the same thing, because they are in a two-year program.

The newer students that came in, we gave them orientation that this is going to be a college, this is what's going to happen, and about the credit system.

We talked about that, and that they would be working towards a two-year degree program, but towards an associate degree program.

They were also told that they would be given certificate programs.

If they didn't finish that-- if the things were not ready for them, then they would be certificated, so the students were assured.

One of the things that we've got to remember is that our relationship with the industry was constant.

These students were assured that we will continue to work with the industry so that curriculum that we taught that was certified by those advisory committees, will continue.

That curriculum will be incorporated into the new program also.

>> That before-and-after transition that you were there for, can you talk about the benefits that the school received becoming part of the state system?

>> Yeah, the students, of course, now they're in an accredited school system, into the college system, and it opened new doors.

Now when they went for a job, they had an associate degree along with their certificated program, whatever the program they were trained in.

Those were available to them.

Also, they had the opportunity to jump into other degree programs.

An example would be a student -- well, this was later in the years, where a student who came from high school, who went into the Sheet Metal Program, went into Evergreen State College and got his bachelor's degree, then went into Arizona State and got a master's degree.

It opened new doors for students, new avenues, a new ramp for them.

>> New opportunities.

>> New opportunities, absolutely.

>> And in the trades as well, is moving on to other schools.

>> You could choose the trades.

Even those who became electricians, they could go and do a general business degree and go for an MBA, or want to be a BA, and then an MBA if they wanted to.

>> Did it help create an advantage to the partnerships with, say, local businesses that had been tied to the school?

>> Yes, businesses appreciated it also.

There was some friction or doubt created among the unions.

However, they soon started realizing, or there was better understanding of the program a little later on.

It worked very well, actually.

Actually, we still have a good relationship with the unions.

>> Can you talk about the things that have changed the most, and the things that have stayed the same, in a good way?

>> Well, what has stayed the same is our mission.

In 1940, when they started the course, the program, Mr.

Bates had the feeling that we were going to train people for the workforce, and we still continue with the same mission.

That we continue.

The only thing now, it's enhanced.

It broadened opportunities for students.

It helps students to do much better.

For instance, let's say the federal government has grants.

We qualify for more grants.

I personally got involved in one of those grants, which was with the Department of Labor, where the timber workers were laid off.

They were sent to be retrained, and some of them chose to come to my program.

Now, these students, think about it.

A timber worker, 45-year-old, 35- to 45-year-old, who's going to be retrained.

We used to kid about things.

We'd say, "From wood chips to microchips," we used to say.

This was an opportunity for them to be trained, and we were able to bring them in here, train them, and some of them started off 10% more than what they were making before, which was very good.

>> That's good.

>> Yeah, and this first grant was about $600,000 that was given to us.

The second grant was -- because we did well and these people were employed, the federal government gave us another $400,000.

It opened opportunities for us and for faculty also.

We could explore opportunities to learn and expand our careers.

>> We've spanned over 35 years in a very short amount of time.

Can you talk about your personal thoughts about Bates and looking to the future?

>> Oh, the reason I feel very strongly about the school is because of what it does.

It changes lives, and there are a lot of people who need help.

There are some students who go to any school, and they will be able to become successful, but school has a special place, a spot -- >> The heart of Bates.

>> The heart of Bates, yes.

We serve students who are in need, and our classroom sizes are small.

Very often, students are wondering which way to go, and our counselors and our staff members work individually with them.

That's special about this school.

I'm very grateful that I was given the opportunity to come here and be part of it because I learned a lot.

Let me put it that way.

I think a lot of my development of what I do today as a volunteer after retirement is because of the fact that I see lives changing at the school, and I will continue to do that in the future.

I'm sure that with the current leadership and the people that are in charge, they have that mission in mind.

>> Being that you've, since the late '60s and being here with the school at each of those levels and seeing those different chapters opening and moving into, it's an amazing perspective to have.

Any final thoughts?

>> Well, if I were to say what change has done, I think I don't have a long statement to make, but I have only one thing to say.

That's to tell you that final thoughts will be our transition broadened our horizon without changing our heart.

>> Thank you, Tom.

>> You're welcome.

Thank you.

[ Music ] >> Bates Tech and the Healthcare Training Fund are partnering to launch the new Youth Behavioral Health Apprenticeship this fall.

We spoke with Bates Tech Vice-President of Instruction, Dr.

Johnny Hu, and Melody McKee, Director of Behavioral Health Strategy at the Healthcare Training Fund, about this new student career opportunity.

Johnny and Melody, welcome to Bates Tech Today.

>> Good to see you, Phil.

>> Good to see you.

>> Let's talk a bit about the new partnership with Bates and the Healthcare Training Fund regarding the new apprenticeship for behavioral health.

Johnny, can you speak about that, about how the school is bringing that to the students, how they discovered it, and how they find out about it?

>> Yeah, absolutely, Phil.

As you know, Bates Technical College, we've been around for over 85 years now supporting career training programs across our county and across our state.

We are, I like to say, the leader in workforce education in our region.

Our goal is to make sure that we provide career training and programs that lead to industry certifications, making sure that we're responsive to the needs of our community, and making sure that we are meeting the needs of our industry partners.

Over the past several months -- probably close to over a year now -- one of our wonderful partners is the Healthcare Training Fund.

Of course, behavioral health is a big part of what they do at the Training Fund.

We recently had a collaboration, an idea.

There's a shortage of behavioral health techs in our community.

Also, how do we help support and provide opportunities for the youth in our community, particularly in Pierce County?

Bates Technical College, if our viewers may not know, we also have a strong technical high school where our high school students can earn both a high school diploma, as well as earn college credits towards an associate's degree.

Through the collaboration with the Healthcare Training Fund, they also have an interest because they have a behavioral health apprenticeship.

Our goal is to recruit a new group, a first-ever cohort of high school behavioral health apprentices, where they take training at Bates Technical College, where they are on track to earn college credit towards an associate's degree tuition-free, as well as at the same time participate in an apprenticeship with the Healthcare Training Fund where they earn apprenticeship hours and real-life, hands-on work experience with the support of the partners that the Training Fund has.

>> Melody, can you talk about a career in behavioral health, what it looks like, and what the students might find interesting to engage them in the program if they're interested?

>> Yeah, in behavioral health, and this is one of the reasons why we're so excited about the partnership, is we see that out in communities, not everyone understands the depth and the breadth of the behavioral health workforce and what is possible for folks coming into the workforce, especially for our young folks.

We see an opportunity to provide expertise and training earlier on, and that will open them up to all of the different pathways that are offered in behavioral health, things like substance use disorder professionals, behavioral health technicians, peer specialists, and licensed therapists.

We could go on and on about the opportunities that lie there.

In this partnership, offering competencies, job-embedded credit, job-embedded learning, and early training that will increase the competency of a young person who can then choose from all of the different options.

I haven't named all of them, of course, but there's plenty of opportunity in behavioral health, and it does -- like Johnny said, it meets the needs of our community and across the country, in a mental health crisis.

Part of the reason it's not being addressed robustly is because of the lack of folks in the workforce, so this is a really great opportunity.

>> Can you describe the dynamic, a bit, between the apprentice and the professional that they're working with?

Is there an example that you can give of what that may look like?

>> Oh, certainly.

An apprenticeship starts with a job.

It includes a wage, and it also includes a thing we call the mentor, which is someone who is working in the setting and has a journeyman-level area of expertise that they are offering to the apprentice, just like when you think about the trades and how apprenticeships work in the trades, very similar.

One of the things about the behavioral healthcare workforce is we know that when I'm able to offer mentorship and my expertise, that actually increases my retention in the workforce, as well, because folks like to do that.

They like to pass on what they've learned themselves.

>> Johnny, can you speak towards what students would need to be prepared in order to be eligible?

>> Yeah, absolutely.

We are recruiting high school students.

They can be within the community, and we are looking at designing a program that is also flexible, and so it's a combination of both online and in-person coursework while they're at Bates Technical College.

We're looking for high school students interested in a behavior health/allied health pathway, between 16 and 20 years of age.

If they are interested, we have a link set up on our website, batestech.edu, where they can apply directly and be connected with a career advisor who can help them with next steps in getting enrolled.

We are actively enrolling now for a start date of Fall Quarter of 2026.

September 2026, it's coming up, and we're looking forward to enrolling our first cohort.

>> The programs can earn tuition-free college credit.

Let's talk about that a bit, Johnny.

>> Yeah, absolutely, so students are enrolled in college-level courses that lead towards an associate's degree in community service public safety, as well as their high school diploma.

We've also embedded some general education classes in English, communication studies, social sciences, and everybody's favorite, math.

I was a math instructor, so I would love to promote that -- the importance of math in our community.

Those soft skills are very important because those are some of the things that, in addition to the technical skills provided by the behavioral health courses, the soft skills are very important.

That's the feedback that we've gotten from our industry partners.

It's a well-rounded program, and students are also provided dedicated advising support.

We have a technical high school team that provides support to our students on campus, as well as online tutoring for our students.

That wraparound support is there from dedicated individuals.

Finally, we also have a learning support team, where if students have questions about how to use a learning management system or Canvas, we have that support as well.

>> Melody, can you talk about the tuition portion of that reporting out with them being on the ground and working with a mentor in a program?

How does that work with their hours?

Do they report those out?

Can you explain that a little bit?

>> Yeah, so in registered apprenticeship, the on-the-job training, and what we call the related supplemental instruction, which is what Bates will be providing, are combined, and the competencies come together from both of those settings to meet the qualifications and the standards that are set forward by registered apprenticeship.

They're learn/practice/do.

That's a really great way for folks to learn in the setting.

I also want to say that the behavioral health competencies that these folks are acquiring can be used across many different fields, so public safety, first responders, and behavioral health professions in general, but also allied health professions.

When we're thinking about folks in the community and what they're struggling with, they're doing that almost anywhere you go.

Even public transportation is a spot where folks can learn competencies and end up using them in their job.

There's a wide array of opportunity for them to put into practice what they're learning in the program.

>> Can you speak a bit about the dynamic between Bates directly when the students are out doing the work and ties with the school?

Can you talk a bit about the dynamic between the school and the health fund?

>> Yeah, the healthcare training fund has a long history of working with higher ed institutions and partnering, collaborating, to create the opportunity for the learner.

I mean, we're really focused on offering economic mobility opportunities to folks in community, and we're on the job-training side of things.

We have a lot of employer partners.

Then the institution, Bates in this case, is responsible for the instruction, but we're in lockstep.

That's part of how we offer a really great experience for the apprentice/learner.

We also have wraparound supports and tutoring and lots of other things that folks can access, so they can get those from both places.

>> Johnny, can you talk about, from the school perspective, how that works?

>> Yeah, and I echo a lot of what Melody said.

This effort cannot take place without the strong partnership.

It's Bates providing the academic pieces to make sure that students are trained well and have that training to be able to meet the needs of our employers.

Again, what makes this program unique is that partnership with the Healthcare Training Fund to be able to provide an opportunity for students to be able to get those apprenticeship hours, to be able to secure a job before they graduate from high school.

To be able to have that synergy really, really makes this program unique, and I'm going to say very innovative and one of a kind.

>> As it points to the heart of Bates, it sounds like a real dynamic program and a terrific partnership.

It looks like a well-pathed future for the program.

Thank you both for joining us.

>> Thank you.

>> Thank you, Phil.

[ Music ] >> Joining the state's community and technical college system 35 years ago helped Bates Tech move forward with expanded learning, training, and access to career opportunities.

The exciting partnership with the healthcare training fund, offering the new behavioral health apprenticeship, adds one more reason to take a closer look at Bates Technical College.

We hope you enjoyed this edition of Bates Tech today.

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

We'll leave you with just one more thing: Things are busy at the Bates South Campus.

Here's a look at the new state-of-the-art fire service training center, well on its way to completion.

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

Thanks for watching.

>> Bates Technical College has had a Fire Service Training program since the 1960s.

Originally, it was taught at their downtown campus.

They came here to South back in 1985.

This building that we're currently using is over 41 years old, which is why we needed this new facility.

[ Music ] >> We are at the future home of the Bates Fire Service Training Center.

We have a 4.5-acre site here split into two main buildings.

The academic building is 32,000 square feet, and the second structure is a 9,000-square-foot live fire training facility.

That is where most of the training will get done for the firefighters.

There will be nine live fire props inside helping them hone their craft.

Let's go take a look.

Right here will be a big Fire Service Training logo that they've designed.

This way, everybody coming in through the front door, they'll get an idea of where they are.

They're at the new Fire Service Training Facility.

>> Yeah, this is the apparatus bay.

Basically, it's where the fire apparatus, the fire trucks, are going to be parked.

There is a dirty classroom here where the firefighters can be in their bunker gear without contaminating the rest of the building and a decontamination room, a decon room, to clean their gear and floor drains so they can wash the fire trucks indoors.

>> Each student will get a rack for their gear.

They put their name up here, and their gear will be stored in here.

>> Here we have a number of different spaces.

We're able to have students in our own computer lab, which we didn't have at the old facility.

We had to go to a different building.

We're able to have students working out in a gymnasium here in the facility, which we didn't have.

All of this is an improvement on the program.

It makes it much easier to teach because we're all encompassed in one area, and I think the students will get a better overall experience here at Bates because of that.

>> A cool feature of this building is we have reader boards and a PA system for the instructors to use just like a live fire station would use.

They can put out a call to a certain number of students, certain engines, and they can respond like they're living in an actual firehouse.

This is called the Focus Learning Lab, but basically it's a student lounge.

The students will have an area of calm for them to come to in between classes, in between drills.

>> What this facility also enables us to do is expand out into a much larger drill ground.

What we didn't have at the older facility is space.

>> Next, we're going to take a look at the fire training building.

>> One of the exciting parts of the design of the training tower is that they gave us a two-story residential side along with that five-story commercial side.

We can mix and match and make it as large or as small as we want to.

We can have that fire just about anywhere.

Simulating that, what will they expect in the real world?

>> The residential side has exterior stairs like you'd see on a garden apartment, balconies of all sorts, open railings you can rappel out of.

These are our live fire props, so these will go in the building.

This car one, for instance, will go in a garage that we have lined with steel.

We also have a kitchen prop here, so this is supposed to mimic a stove.

The instructors will be able to run these fires from a wireless remote-control device.

>> With this hallway being attached to the stairway, it makes it challenging for the students.

They have to advance their charged hose line up.

When they open the door, they'll encounter the flames over their head.

>> We have a couple different training features in here.

The students can practice breaching a wall.

They can do a downed firefighter drill or practice confined space rescues, more training opportunities than you'll ever be able to use.

>> One of the things I'm most excited about is the endless amount of opportunities that this facility provides to us.

It brings excitement to the instructors and a newfound energy in the program.

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

Thank you.