IN THE NEWS!

Freeman Foundation Supports Family Literacy Program

          The Sussex Tech Adult Division’s Even Start Family Literacy Program received a $5,000 grant from the Carl F. Freeman Foundation.  Accepting the grant are Jose Oyola (right) and Emily Ritchie who work with the Even Start Program.  The money will be used for classroom books for adults who are learning to speak English and for children’s books for the children. 

            In Even Start, parents learn English two nights per week while their children work with elementary teachers on their reading and other literacy skills.  The program also provides home visits to assist families in being their children’s first teacher. 

            The program is a partnership between the Sussex Tech Adult Division, Woodbridge School District, and the Delaware State Housing Authority.  Classes are held at the Laverty Lane Housing Development in Bridgeville and the Phyllis Wheatley Middle School in Bridgeville. For more information about the program call 856-9035.

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Governor Ruth Ann Minner presented ICAL service awards to officials of Sussex Technical Adult Division. Left to right are: Terri Corder, adult education principal; Rosa Morales, wife of award recipient; Jose Oyola, coordinator, Even Start Family Literacy Program; Dr. John Kreitzer, director of adult education; and Governor Ruth Ann Minner.

Sussex Tech Adult Program Receives State Service Awards

Sussex Technical Adult Division is proud to announce that it was recently honored by the Interagency Council on Adult Literacy (ICAL) when it received two of the five statewide awards presented by the Council for Outstanding Achievement/Service. The awards were for Outstanding Program and Outstanding Staff Member.

The Even Start Family Literacy Program has served Sussex County residents in three different locations during the past 10 years. In 2007-08 the program served 77 adults and 82 children. It offers three adult ESL (English as a Second Language) classes and four early childhood classes for its families. The success of the program is evidenced by the number of referrals the program receives from family members who are students. Another outstanding aspect that qualified the program for the Outstanding Program award is that with Even Start’s decline in funding over the last few years, the program has become vigilant in seeking and securing additional partners with funding from eight different funding sources to maintain a high quality program.

One of the anchors of the Even Start Family Literacy Program is its coordinator, Jose Oyola, who was presented the Outstanding Staff Member award. A native Hispanic speaker with a math teaching degree and a heart for educating people, Mr. Oyola became the Even Start coordinator in 2004 and has increased the program enrollment by over 100 adults and children. Besides his Even Start responsibilities, Mr. Oyola also provides extra services to ESL parents such as translation services, connections to social services, and explanation and modeling of American culture and processes.

Mr. Oyola and administrators of the Sussex Technical Adult Division were honored at the ICAL Awards Ceremony on September 21 in the Senate Chambers of Legislative Hall.

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December 19, 2006

Sussex Tech Adult Ed is Honored by DOE

            Sussex Technical School District Adult Education was recently honored by the Delaware Department of Education for the success of its adult education program and was recognized as an Adult Basic Education Program of Excellence for 2006. The award recognizes the invaluable contribution to the advancement of adult learning shown by Sussex Tech Adult Ed administration and staff.

            In making the presentation, Dr. Fran Tracy-Mumford, DOE Director of Adult Education, said that “for over 20 years, Sussex Tech has been a leader in innovative methods of adult education.”

            Receiving the award were Dr. John Kreitzer, Director of Adult Education at Sussex Tech, and Adult Ed Principal Theresa Corder.

            Seven other adult education programs throughout the state were also honored.

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ELECTRICAL students receiving Journeyperson papers were, left to right: front row seated – Lesly Bataille (Laurel), Anatolijs Bazinovs (Selbyville), William Burger (Ocean City, Md.), Angela Carroll (Greenwood), Martin Corrin (Bishopville, Md.), Leandro DeFreitas (Millsboro), Oscar Hernandez (Berlin, Md.), Dennis Janssen (Bethany), Volvy Joseph (Federalsburg, Md.); back row standing – Charles Layfield (Ocean City, Md.), Stanley Muir (Laurel), Sean Murphy (Laurel), Daniel Nedwick (Selbyville), Scott Pepper (Greenwood), Justin Price (Linkwood, Md.), Mark Rossington II (Millsboro), Clinton Waters (Denton, Md.), Daniel West (Dagsboro), and Jason Wright (Georgetown).

HVAC TECH students receiving Journeyperson papers were, left to right: front row seated – Howard Hunt (Delmar), Douglas Lowe (Millsboro), and Jeff Slemons (Laurel); back row standing – Brennan Tomko (Lewes) and Chris Willey (Milton).

PLUMBING students receiving Journeyperson papers were, left to right: front row seated, Year 4 – Lawrence Fike (Dagsboro), Jonathan Owen (Lewes), Christopher Palmer (Seaford), and Donald Starkey (Harrington); back row standing, Year 5 – Carlton Graham (Seaford), Michael Irwin (Millsboro), James Kokoszka (Bridgeville), and Joseph Yost II (Townsend).

Sussex Tech Adult Apprenticeship Students Receive Awards

The Sussex Tech Adult Division in Georgetown held its annual apprenticeship training awards ceremony on Thursday, April 24. Two hundred and sixty-two (262) students were honored at this ceremony for advancing in their chosen professions. These adult students were recognized for completing their first, second, third, fourth, or fifth year of training in their trade. Twenty Delaware and eleven Maryland state registered apprentices were recognized by the Delaware and Maryland Departments of Labor and advanced to “Journeyperson” status. A journeyperson is recognized countrywide as having both the hands-on and classroom training of a true craftsperson.

Apprenticeship classes include the following trades: Auto Mechanics, Early Care and Education, Electrical, Heating/Ventilation/Air Conditioning, Industrial Maintenance, Marine Mechanics, Plumbing, and Welding. In an era when skilled craftspeople are in demand, these men and women are securing a brighter future by honing their skills through the apprenticeship training program.

If you would like to know more about the apprenticeship training program, please contact Bill Feher at (302) 856-9035.

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Dentsply-L.D. Caulk Division of Milford was recently honored with the 2007 Outstanding Achievement/Service Award by the Interagency Council for Adult Literacy for a project it enacted in cooperation with Sussex Tech Adult Division. The project produced a dramatic increase in production accuracy and the company is planning another program to help increase production efficiency.

Dentsply contacted Sussex Tech Adult Division and asked them to develop a program to help employees improve their reading skills. The first step in the project was to conduct a basic skills assessment of all employees. Based on the results of this assessment, a workplace reading class was conducted by Sussex Tech, titled “Technical Interpretation.” Workers were released from their work stations to attend classes twice a week. This class, combined with some rewriting of standard operating procedures documents and other on-the-job training, led to a significant increase in production accuracy.

According to Dr. John Kreitzer, Director of Sussex Tech Adult Division, “The company was interested in a solution beyond a ‘quick fix.’ Using the assessment data, they were able to review an analysis of the results and make decisions about training, create acceptance levels for new hires, and set realistic reading levels for standard operating procedures.”

Because of the success of the reading program, Dentsply has asked Sussex Tech to continue basic skills training for its employees by designing and conducting a course titled “Technical Calculations,” a workplace mathematics class. This class is pending.

For more information on how to have individually-designed employee development classes implemented for your business, contact Sussex Tech Adult Division at 302-856-9035.

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