Five Questions With: Karen Mellen

Karen Mellen began her health care career in radiology. She quickly developed a passion for teaching science and pursued a bachelor’s degree in health education. Upon graduation, she began as a biomedical technology teacher at the East Providence Career and Technical Center.

As her administration and leadership skills emerged, she was driven to pursue a master’s degree in education leadership from Rhode Island College, where she graduated in 2007. Later she worked as director of the Newport Career and Technical Center, where she was responsible for increasing enrollment and program improvement.

In 2009, she was offered the position of director/principal of the East Providence Career and Technical Center, where she transformed the center by revamping programming to reflect industry trends and increasing enrollment, all the while maintaining a complex and limited budget.

PBN: The East Providence Career and Technical Center runs nine programs, which prepare students for high-wage, high-demand careers. How will the Work Based Learning Program build on the existing curriculum?

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MELLEN: The Work Based Learning Program builds on our programs of study by offering students authentic, real-world opportunities, which reinforce classroom and practical training skills. Our programs include: automotive technologies, computer science, construction technologies, cosmetology, culinary arts, forensic science, graphic communications, health occupations, marine biology, pre-engineering.

Our students are in a unique position to gain valuable work experience within their chosen area of interest while they are still in high school. Of the 10 programs at the East Providence Career and Technical Center, many have articulation agreements, which allow students to earn transferable college credit. The majority of our students who go on to postsecondary institutions, therefore have an upper hand.

PBNWhat is the mission of this program?

MELLEN: The mission of our Work Based Learning Program is to bridge the content taught in high school with real-world work experience. Today’s businesses demand more than a high school education, they want employees with work experience. Starting this fall, and with the graduating class of 2021, every EPCTC student will graduate with industry credentials and over 80 hours of industry experience.

PBN: When was the program launched and how many students are enrolled?

MELLEN: Over the past few years we have offered this opportunity to a few students, as scheduling permitted. With the help of a workplace coordinator, Catherine Rickert, this year we placed more than 30 students in work experiences in high-demand industries such as construction, automotive, medical, forensics and graphic communications.

Our goal is to have all students complete 80 hours of work experience in high-demand industries by 2021. We are well on our way to offering students the skills they need and employers the work experience they demand.

PBN: What has been the interest and reaction from the student body?

MELLEN: Students are very interested in the program and we have noticed a significant increase in participation this year.

It is amazing to see the changes in our students once they gain employment. We have noticed positive changes, such as improvement in grades and attendance as well as an increase in motivation. They appreciate the investment employers are willing to make in training and demonstrate interest in working for that company.

PBN: How does this opportunity, which can lead to a 50 percent wage reimbursement from the Governor’s Workforce Board, help local employers in need of new employees locate those individuals?

MELLEN: The Governor’s Workforce Board, in conjunction with the [R.I.] Department of Labor and Training, provides a 50 percent wage reimbursement for wages from the state minimum wage up to $20 an hour. Presently, this initiative allows our employer partners to receive reimbursement up to 400 hours per student, and each company may hire eight students per year.

Interested employers can contact me or Rickert, we will match their needs to a handful of highly qualified candidates.

Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.