50 Years – 50 Powerful ECPI University Partners
ECPI University Partnerships Benefit Students and Employers
"Partnering has proven itself one of the most powerful business tools for dealing with fast-changing markets, technologies, and customers. As the global economy speeds up, partnering is becoming the weapon of choice for today's successful competitors."
~Curtis E. Sahakian, Managing Director of the Corporate Partnering Institute
From the day it first opened its doors in 1966, ECPI University has developed strong partnerships. Working with employers, as well as community and professional organizations, ECPI University has been able to provide hands-on, real-world learning experiences for its students, along with opportunities to serve their communities.
On this, its 50th anniversary, here are 50 partners that make ECPI University one of the nation’s leading institutions for skills-based, real-world education:
1. PA Solutions – An international supplier of automation solutions for the chemical and automotive markets, the Greenville, SC-based company is working with ECPI University faculty members to provide robotics training on campus and to local high school students.
2. South Carolina Chambers of Commerce – Each year, ECPI University’s Columbia campus teams up with the state and regional chambers of commerce to host a professional job fair that typically attracts more than 100 employers and nearly 2,000 attendees.
3. Program Advisory Boards – ECPI University maintains advisory boards for each of its programs, comprised of industry professionals who meet twice yearly to review curriculum. They help ensure that our course material is timely, relevant, and tailored to meet the needs of employers.
4. Education Partnership Program – Through this initiative, companies are able to provide educational benefits to employees with the goal of promoting professional growth and organizational effectiveness.
5. Virginia Employment Commission, Peninsula Worklink, and Peninsula Chamber of Commerce – For the past several years, ECPI University’s Newport News campus has led a coalition of local agencies in hosting the HIRE Peninsula Career Fair. In 2016, 100 employers and more than 1,700 people attended the event.
6. Dorchester School District 2 – An agreement between ECPI University and the school district allows high school students to take accredited college-level courses in computer and information science and earn professional certifications.
7. General Dynamics IT – ECPI University was the first school this company contacted to participate in its latest recruiting initiative. The goal is to build a community of talented individuals with IT service desk and software development knowledge.
8. Manufacturing Day – Each October, ECPI University hosts MFG Day – an event that draws high school students by the hundreds. They visit campuses and learn firsthand from area manufacturers about potential opportunities in advanced manufacturing. Manufacturing Day is co-produced by the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA), the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the Manufacturing Institute (MI), the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST), and Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).
9. Texas Instruments – Several times a year, company recruiters travel from Dallas to ECPI University’s campus to screen, test, and recruit new employees.
10. Carilion Clinic – The largest hospital in Virginia’s Roanoke Valley, it provides tremendous opportunities for ECPI University nursing students to participate in clinical rotations in the following areas: Neuro trauma Progressive Step-Down Unit, Vascular Progressive Step-Down Unit, and Cardiac Progressive Step-Down Unit where they can apply their acute care skills learned in the classroom.
11. BMW Manufacturing – In conjunction with three regional community colleges, BMW created the Scholars Program to provide educational and work opportunities for people interested in pursuing a future in advanced manufacturing. Soon after, it partnered with ECPI University to provide these two-year graduates the opportunity to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics.
12. Missions of Mercy – Practical nursing and dental students routinely volunteer for the organization’s clinics, helping deliver free services to underserved people.
13. VSOC – As a partner with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, the VetSuccess on Campus program places VA counselors on campus to help veterans transition to college and civilian life.
14. U.S. Departments of Education – ECPI University has joined the DOE’s program called 8 Keys to Veterans' Success, a resource of best practices and strategies institutions can use to foster a productive educational environment for student veterans.
15. Atlantic Shores Retirement Community – Senior “foodies” put their discerning palates to good use, serving as judges and awarding scholarships during an annual competition held at ECPI University’s College of Culinary Arts, Culinary Institute of Virginia.
16. STEM Premier – A multi-channel network connecting academic institutions, corporate partners, and government agencies to a pool of qualified STEM talent, this resource provides ECPI University students with a dynamic new tool for connecting with employers for professional growth.
17. SQL Saturday – The Richmond/Moorefield campus hosts this event which brings together more than 175 local and national Structured Query Language (SQL) experts who present the latest in SQL technology, plus valuable information on employment across the industry.
18. STEP – The Newport News campus hosts the Newport News Publics Schools’ Summer Training Enrichment Program (STEP), an initiative to reduce and eliminate youth and gang violence. Students learn about apps, facial reconstruction, health sciences, and mechatronics.
19. Skills to Work – ECPI University participates in the Get Skills to Work initiative, a coalition of industry, educators, and non-profit organizations helping veterans discover futures in advanced manufacturing. The partnership, which includes the Manufacturing Institute, GE, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Alcoa, works with institutions of higher education to further expand accelerated training and certification opportunities for U.S. veterans in advanced manufacturing.
20. STAR Program – Through the Servicemember Transitional Advanced Rehabilitation (STAR) Program, faculty and staff from the Richmond/Moorefield campus help VA professionals assess skill levels and recommend corrective action. The program provides comprehensive vocational rehabilitation services with a special emphasis on obtaining meaningful and satisfying work.
21. Cisco Systems – ECPI University has been designated a Cisco Academy Instructor Trainer Center (ITC), as well as a Cisco Academy Support Center (ASC), making it among a few select locations on the east coast to achieve this status.
22. Mid-Atlantic Home & Outdoor Living Show – Each year, ECPI University’s College of Culinary Arts, Culinary Institute of Virginia, is invited to hold a student culinary competition at this event, selling tickets to consumer judges with all proceeds going to the school’s scholarship fund.
23. Student Veterans of America – Most campuses have student-led SVA chapters, which provide opportunities for student vets to interact with fellow vets and avail themselves of resources to help them succeed in the classroom.
24. AU-ABC Program – The Air University Associates-to-Baccalaureate Cooperative Program is an initiative that establishes partnerships between the Air Force and civilian higher education institutions to offer four-year degree opportunities to Air Force enlisted members.
25. Navy College Program Distance Learning Partnership – ECPI University is among a select group of academic institutions which have been chosen to partner with the Navy in order to provide exceptional education and rate-related, accredited college courses and degrees to Navy personnel around the world.
26. NCPACE – Through the Navy College for Afloat College Education program, ECPI University offers courses for sailors at sea who do not have internet access.
27. Marine Corps Career College Program – Through this program, ECPI University awards credit for military experience and training based on American council on Education (ACE).
28. GoArmyEd – This program provides soldiers with reduced tuition along with program flexibility.
29. GEM – Air Force General Education Mobile (GEM) is a partnership between the Community College of the Air Force and civilian academic institutions to offer a group of general education classes through a web-based platform.
30. Yellow Ribbon Program – As a participant in the Post-9/11 GI Bill ® Yellow Ribbon Program, ECPI University makes additional funds available for vets without an additional charge to their GI Bill ® entitlement.
31. Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina – ECPI University operates closely with Goodwill in its efforts to build the region’s workforce.
32. Siemens Corporation – ECPI University is one of only seven Virginia colleges and universities awarded more than $1 billion in software grants by Siemens, giving its students access to the same Siemens product lifecycle management (PLM) software used throughout the global manufacturing industry to design, develop and manufacture some of the world’s most sophisticated products.
33. Websmith Group – This technology solutions firm hosts a Student Innovation Project in in which ECPI University students are challenged to develop a fun and interactive software product, based on criteria determined by Websmith Group.
34. Virginia Beach Public Schools – ECPI University has partnered with Green Run High School to operate the Green Run Advanced Manufacturing Academy. During the school year, students in the academy meet twice weekly, once at their own school, then at ECPI University’s campus. At the end of the year, they can be prepared to earn an entry-level advanced manufacturing credential.
35. Portsmouth Public Schools – Each summer, high school students participate in the campus’ summer manufacturing academy. Upon completion, they are eligible to take a certification test to earn an entry-level industry credential.
36. City of Chesapeake, Virginia Public Library – Every summer, ECPI University faculty members hold a week-long app camp at the Chesapeake Public Library where local high school students learn how to make iPhone games.
37. MILO – The criminal justice programs at several ECPI University campuses make their newly-acquired Milo Range Pro v4 simulators available for use by local law enforcement. Considered one of the world’s best interactive augmented-reality training tools, this system is designed to enhance use-of-force and firearms training.
38. Girls Get IT – Several ECPI University campuses host regular events for high school-age girls that are designed to introduce them to fields in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
39. The Graduation Imperative – The Columbia campus partners with this organization to increase the number of college graduates in the region, thereby improving growth and economic development.
40. Washington Nationals – For years, the team has selected ECPI University students to provide massage therapy services to its players during summer training camp in Richmond, Virginia.
41. Goodwill Computer Works – Students from the Charleston campus assist Goodwill in repairing and refurbishing a variety of electronic equipment, including computers and gaming stations.
42. IT-oLogy – ECPI University’s Columbia campus participates in this coalition of companies, academic institutions, and organizations dedicated to growing the IT talent pipeline in the region as well as fostering economic development and advancing the IT profession.
43. Perdue Farms – ECPI faculty provide technical training to the company’s workforce on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
44. Junior Achievement – ECPI University faculty and staff donate their time and expertise to Junior Achievement, teaching elementary-school students about financial literacy.
45. Kramden Institute – Students and faculty members from the Raleigh campus donate their time to this organization by refurbishing old computers that are then donated to area middle schools students in economic need.
46. Chesterfield County, Virginia – ECPI University’s Richmond/Moorefield campus has worked with local government in a variety of ways, helping public school teachers introduce innovative STEM programs into the classroom, providing dual-enrollment programs to high school students, and showing residents at the local library how to use a new 3D printer.
47. Hanahan Senior Center – Members of Phi Theta Kappa and Golden Key Honour societies lead classes and provide computer tutoring to senior citizens from the Hanahan Senior Center just outside Charleston, South Carolina.
48. Mayor’s Youth Academy – For the past six years, the Richmond/Innsbrook campus has been a proud participant in the Mayor’s Youth Academy. The campus hosts a large group of students and offers a total of three classes, awarding up to nine college credits.
49. Military Kids Camp – Students from military families across Coastal Virginia spend a week attending a free camp at ECPI University’s Virginia Beach campus. Teens from Oceana Naval Air Station, Little Creek Amphibious Base, Fort Story, and Midway Manor Military Housing take part in exercises centered on professions that include software development, gaming, criminal justice, engineering technology, and network security
50. Guilford County, North Carolina Public Schools – The Greensboro campus hosts an annual training event for school nurses, conducing assessments in a broad range of areas to include catheterizations, tube feeding, tracheal suctioning, oxygen concentration, nebulizer treatment, and many other clinical-based assessments.
At ECPI University, we believe we can accomplish far more by working together, and partnerships are just another way for us to provide our students with an education like no other. If you want to be part of ECPI University’s next 50 years, contact us today to talk to an admissions representative.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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