Oct. 18, 2023 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Just talking about climbing 80 feet up a pole, the usually very chill Jack Aalderink gets excited. At 20 years old, Aalderink never thought about linework as a career. After graduating from Zeeland West High School in 2022, Aalderink was considering either heading to Grand Valley State University for business or becoming a residential electrician. “I hadn’t really heard about what a lineworker even is or does until a friend of mine told me he was doing it and what it involves.” Aalderink said. The first step for Aalderink was making sure that he isn’t afraid of heights. “I signed up for a two-day climb class through Lansing Community College, which was good because we started out climbing 10 feet, then 15 feet and eventually got up to 40 feet. That is when I knew I would enjoy this work. I was pretty happy when I came upon GRCC’s program because it is closer, cheaper and faster.” Grand Rapids Community College, in partnership with the Michigan Energy Workforce Development Consortium, began offering a Pre-Lineworker Training Program in 2021. The Program includes: OSHA10 certification/safety, linework physical fitness, basic electricity, and energy industry fundamentals, followed by climbing clinics, orientation and an 11-week climb school in Marshall, Mich. The GRCC Pre-Lineworker program is very popular, due in part to the high wages associated with linework. An entry level, Step 1 lineworker typically starts at more than $40 per hour. After only seven months, Aalderink is already at a Step 2 level. With each step, lineworkers receive a wage increase, and more training to learn new skills. “It’s a lot of fun. Each day is different and there is a great sense of accomplishment when you complete a job,” said Aalderink, who started at Consumers Energy last May and has experienced working outside in the Michigan winter. “Working in the winter isn’t bad. You warm up pretty quick once you start moving around and working.” Last winter, Aalderink worked 16-hour days for nine or 10 days, but that is not typical. A major component to linework is the physical aspect.  “When I came into the program, I thought I was in pretty good shape. The physical fitness portion of the GRCC program definitely prepares you well. The job is very physical and the training is somewhat similar to boot camp. It’s all on the student to take the initiative to do the work outside of class,” Aalderink said. “The class only meets once a week so you have to be disciplined and do the workouts outside of class time. I was working out an additional five days a week.” The 11-week climbing school in Marshall is offered by Consumers Energy to its five educational partners: Grand Rapids Community College, Lansing Community College, Jackson College, Alpena Community College, and Mott Community College.  “When you take the climbing school, you still aren’t hired. In my climb school cohort, we started with fifteen and nine of us were hired,” Aalderink said. “Those other six didn’t finish the program and left within the first couple weeks. The climb school really pushes you just enough. You want to be prepared.”  Linework isn’t the only career that focuses on the energy industry. There are a variety of positions that most people never hear about. Due to the need for workers in the energy field, employers partnered with GRCC to build a new one-year Energy Technician Certificate program. The Energy Technician Certificate Program combines both credit classes as well as non-credit classes from GRCC. This stackable credential program allows a student the flexibility to take core courses before determining which pathway they would like to pursue. “These are the types of careers that are not often talked about known to high schoolers,” said Aalderink. “I wouldn’t have really known about this as a career choice if I didn’t know someone who was already doing it.” A successful student who completes the GRCC Energy Technician program will earn certifications from the American Red Cross and an Energy Industry Fundamentals Certificate. Students will also receive training in test preparation for apprentice opportunities, basic electricity, blueprint reading, hand and power tools, project management and health/endurance training. This certificate can be a great pathway to a career as a lineworker or any of the other positions open in the energy sector. GRCC and its employer partners are offering an information session about the Energy Technician program at 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, at the GRCC Tassell MTEC, 622 Godfrey Ave. SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Parking is free and easy. Please register at grcc.edu/energytrades . This story was reported by Elly Bainbridge

Oct. 17, 2023 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Take steps toward the future you’ve dreamed of by completing the Grand Rapids Community College enrollment process during two upcoming open houses. An open house on GRCC’s main campus is set for 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 21 in Ford Fieldhouse, 111 Lyon St. NE. A second open house will be held 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 4 at the Lakeshore Campus, 12335 James St. in Holland. Staff at the open houses can help prospective students through the entire enrollment process. Topics include: GRCC’s 12 academic pathways and more than 150 degrees. Steps to applying at GRCC. How to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as FAFSA. Financial aid options. Resources and student services offered at the main and Lakeshore campuses. Registration is encouraged but not required; you can sign up at grcc.edu/openhouse .

Oct. 16, 2023 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – – Grand Rapids Community College Nursing students are receiving an opportunity to have their final semester of tuition paid for by Mary Free Bed. Tuition will be covered for nursing students with a one-year commitment to working for the hospital after graduation. Students in GRCC’s Associate Degree and Practical Nursing programs are eligible for this new last-dollar scholarship. “Mary Free Bed has also agreed to cover the fees for the required licensing tests, which cost just over $500," said Michelle Richter, director of GRCC's Nursing program. "When our students get help with tuition, they’re able to focus on their education and ultimately are better prepared for the workplace." Benefits of the partnership will extend beyond the students and the hospital, said Maria Opoku-Agyeman, Mary Free Bed’s chief nursing officer and vice president of inpatient services.  “The creation of nurse scholar programs is a huge win for our community!” said Opoku-Agyeman, a GRCC alumna. “This partnership will allow Mary Free Bed to serve more patients, improve our care delivery, and create a more consistent talent pipeline. “This program will also allow more individuals to achieve their dream of becoming a nurse at GRCC, a highly respected organization with nursing graduates who complete licensure exams at rates above national and state averages.” The Mary Free Bed scholarship is the second scholarship created by the Grand Rapids Community College Foundation with goals of strengthening the local pipeline for nursing talent. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics warns of a nationwide registered nurse shortage, with more than 203,000 openings predicted annually through 2031. In November, the GRCC Foundation established a similar nursing scholarship program with the University of Michigan Health-West. “We are grateful that West Michigan hospitals are willing to partner with us,” said Erin Van Egmond, GRCC Foundation executive director. “These partnerships help our students achieve their dreams while supporting health care providers and the greater community.”

Oct. 12, 2023 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A Grand Rapids Community College collaboration to prepare West Michigan’s littlest learners for academic success has received a $404,170 grant from Kent County’s Ready by Five Early Childhood millage. The First Steps Kent Commission, which administers the millage funds, awarded the grant to the GRCC Play and Learn Program. Play and Learn is an extension of GRCC’s Education program and shares strategies with parents and caregivers of children from infancy through age 5 to support them in preparing their child to be ready to succeed in school. “We share ways the adults in a child’s life can use household materials and daily routines in activities and experiences to help the child meet developmental milestones,” said Kathleen Neumann, GRCC’s child development community liaison. Play groups meet for 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the children’s ages, at the GRCC Early Childhood Learning Laboratory and several other Kent County sites. The children enjoy stimulating activities, while the caregivers learn about child development milestones as well as literacy and child guidance skills. Early Learning coaches work to reach caregivers in as many ways as possible. During the pandemic, Play and Learn staff created monthly activity bags for families to work with at home. Neumann said they proved to be so popular, especially with families who can’t always attend the play groups, that they’re now a permanent part of the program. “From June 2020 to the present, we have distributed almost 10,000 Play and Learn bags to families in Kent County,” she said. Newer additions to the program include a monthly Saturday play group as well as late afternoon and early evening play groups for working families. More information about the program, including a link to enrollment forms, is available online . This is the third consecutive grant that the GRCC Play and Learn program has received from the early childhood millage, which Kent County voters approved in 2018. First Steps Kent awarded $671,553 to GRCC in 2020 and $1 million in 2021 that was divided over 2022 and 2023.