Valencia College Accelerated Skills Training (AST)

Students of the ACE Mentor Program of America paid a visit to Valencia College’s Accelerated Skills Training programs at the Osceola Campus location this week! The ACE Mentor Program is designed to introduce high school students to career opportunities in architecture, construction and engineering so it was nothing but fitting to showcase AST’s industry leading Industrial Automation Technician - Mechatronics, Robotics and Semiconductor Technician, and Precision Optics, Photonics, and Fiber Optics Technician programs! With the strong growth of manufacturing in Central Florida it’s critical to present opportunities for the regions’ youth which begins with the kind of accelerated and well crafted training students receive from #ValenciaAST #ACEMentorProgram #WorkforceEducation #Manufacturing #CentralFlorida

And with that we bid a heartfelt thank you and farewell to an incredibly successful AdventHealth Clinical Medical Assistant Fast Track program. Since February, 2022 the partnership between #ValenciaAST and #AdventHealth has certified 222 AdventHealth employees with an incredible 99% passing rate. The final graduating cohort heard words of encouragement from a former student of the program and celebrated their achievements! We are grateful for the collaboration with AdventHealth and grateful for all the Valencia AST medical program instructors and staff who helped make this possible! AdventHealth Central Florida #medical #healthcare #ClinicalMedicalAssistant #CentralFlorida #CareerGrowth

#ValenciaAST is excited to offer the first Medical Program Career Fair on Friday, December 13 for students of the Medical Office Specialist and Clinical Medical Assistant + EKG programs! We look forward to welcoming hiring managers and talent acquisition representatives to Valencia College's School of Public Safety to check out the labs the students receive hands-on training in, network with industry professionals and, of course, meet the students! Please visit bit.ly/3OjWgI8 by Friday, December 6 to register. AdventHealth Medical Group AdventHealth ORLANDO HEALTH PHYSICIAN GROUP INC Orlando Health Nemours Nemours Children’s Health System HCA Healthcare Physician Services Women's Care Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery

Thank you to the Lowe's Foundation for taking to time to visit the Heart of Florida United Way Northwest Orlando CAT as #ValenciaAST gears up for the launch of the Valencia College and Mechanical One Residential/Commercial Plumbing Techician program! The support of the Lowe’s Foundation and the Gable Grant has been a driver in bringing the vision of the program to life. We look forward to begin training students in an industry vital to Florida and its growing population. Betsy Conway #Plumbing #CentralFlorida #WorkforceEducation #Lowes

“My biggest takeaway from this program is if I can do it with a four and five year old at home, as a single dad, then anyone can do it.” U.S. Army veteran Andrew Hubbell is embarking on a new career with Mitsubishi Power as he graduates from the Automated Production Specialist (CNC) program. He was also studying aviation maintenance at the Aviation Institute of Maintenance in Casselberry. He credits the knowledge of programming obtained from #ValenciaAST with helping him take the next step. #ValenciaGrad #Manufacturing #CNC #AutomatedProduction #USArmy #ArmyVeteran #Veteran

Arturo Guerrero has spent much of his life with his head in the clouds, or at least going through them. The aviator has always loved flight, so he made it his life’s work when he enlisted in the United States Air Force. Born in Puerto Rico Guerrero came to the United States as his dad was serving in the Air Force and it truly was a family affair. “There is a tradition of Puerto Ricans in the military, so I followed in that tradition,” Guerrero said. “My grandfather is retired military, as is my dad and my cousins and uncles.” Before joining the armed forces, Guerrero was studying mechanical engineering, but he soon made the transition to aviation. “I joined the U.S. Air Force and became an F16 hydraulics systems specialist, and I loved it because it was the pinnacle of technology,” Guerrero said. (Click to article to read Arturo's story!)

As the holiday season quickly approaches the The Salvation Army Orlando Area Command ‘World’s Largest Kettle’ will appear around Central Florida, and it found a weekend home at Lake Eola this past Saturday and Sunday! Proudly fabricated by the #ValenciaAST Welding Technology program, the kettle serves the community and is a can’t miss! The Salvation Army #Welding #SalvationArmy #Orlando #CentralFlorida #ValenciaCollege

Happy Halloween, Pumas! Industrial Automation Technician - Mechatronics students + 3D printer = Halloween fun! ???? #Halloween #Mandolorian #StarWars #Manufacturing #AdvancedManufacturing

It might have been fate or a stroke of luck that Colm O’Driscoll found himself instructing the Robotics and Semiconductor Technician program, but the seasoned veteran in the manufacturing world is helping combat the technician shortage at a time when advanced manufacturing is booming in Central Florida. “I believe they’re invaluable,” O’Driscoll said of the AST advanced manufacturing programs. “The growth is going to happen. We always hear about the need for skilled workforce. For every cohort coming through here we’re changing their lives from the point of view of the opportunities they have. The students are going to apply for jobs at companies where, prior to coming here, never in their wildest dreams would they have applied for those companies. We’re giving them a skillset that they can use to better their career and continue to grow.” “For the company side,” O’Driscoll continued, “They can come here with confidence knowing that the graduates they are hiring are able to do the job.” (Click the article to read Colm's story!) #ManufacturingMonth #AdvancedManufacturing #Robotics #Semiconductors #WorkforceEducation #Technician #CentralFlorida #ValenciaCollege #ValenciaAST

Sebastian Bruner considers himself a studious person who wants to translate that knowledge into hands-on work. Bruner has built a solid foundation through bookwork that gives him a leg up to approaching lab work. That comes as no surprise as Bruner graduated from UCF in 2022 where he studied math and computer science. In fact, he began his professional career as a teacher but quickly decided it wasn’t for him. So, he took a job at a marine factory hoping to get the hands-on experience he was after but that wasn’t quite working out either. “I thought that would be my ticket in for hands-on stuff, but they never really gave me any real responsibility,” Bruner said. “I wanted a company to take me seriously so I’m going to go back to school.” (Click the story to read on!) #ManufacturingMonth #Manufacturing #IndustrialAutomation #Mechatronics #CentralFlorida #ValenciaAST #ValenciaCollege #WorkforceEducation