Strate Talk from Autry Technology Center
From the desk of Jim Strate, Superintendent of Autry Technology Center
December 21st, 2011
Community Supports Autry's Annual Food Drive...
A special thanks to Chick-fil-A and Rib Crib for making a donation to Our Daily Bread on behalf of Autry. The Enid News & Eagle wrote a nice article on the food drive to help promote. We appreciate the community support and everyone who donated to this year’s food drive. Using their teamwork skills, Automotive AM and PM gathered 13,401 points in money and can food collections. The total for AM was 6,700 and PM 6,701. The total items in money and food collected school wide was 23,888. The healthy competition between the programs made this one of the biggest years we have had yet. Thank you!
Read article in paper.
Construction is complete...
The remodel of the Business and Industry Services area is finished and we’re moving in. We’re getting settled and organized. We are excited to have more training rooms to serve you and your business. The final touches will be put on over the next couple months.
See pictures of the remodel here.
Medical Assistant Student Shares Her Story...
Jessica Mendez is a student at Lincoln Academy and is in our Medical Assisting program. She found herself pregnant as a sophomore in high school and rather than giving up or in, she has chosen to work hard to make a life for her family. She recently shared her story with the Enid News & Eagle. It’s a story of inspiration and pride. We hope you will read and enjoy.
Read Jessica’s story
Autry hosted workers Compensation Meeting...
It was a pleasure to work with Senator Patrick Anderson and Representative Mike Jackson to host a meeting on workers compensation and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Steve Edwards from OIBC presented and led a discussion on workers compensation and facilitated a discussion following the presentation.
Thank you!
Innovative Tools donated a Truck Bed Stand, Superstand II Bumper Stand and Ultra Rack Paint Stand to the Collision Repair Technology program. The new equipment will give the students more learning opportunities that will make them better suited for the workforce.
Billings Fairchild Center donated medical supplies for our Practical Nursing program. The supplies will assist the students in their learning experience.
We appreciate your assistance in providing the best learning experience possible. Thank you!
Autry shows impressive statistics...
"Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress," said Kofi Annan. Our staff pours this into our students every day. The percentage of Autry high school students who go on to higher or continuing their education is 13% higher than the state CareerTech average. (75% of Autry high school students continue their education.) Please help me thank our staff and instructors for making a difference in our students’ lives.
The newest catalog is here!...
The January-June 2012 catalog has arrived and is full of new classes for you, your family and your staff. They have been put in the mail to be delivered to your home if you live in Garfield County. Several have been delivered to local businesses. If you would like copies for your business, just let us know. You can also view upcoming classes on our website via the link below.
View new catalog
Enrollment is just around the corner...
Autry will begin pre-enrollment in February for next year’s career training classes and it’s not too early for potential students to meet with our counselors, take assessments and learn more about career options. We are here to help.
Looking forward to the future...
We celebrated two Center for Business Development client's success as they finished their time in our incubator. Grace Care and Kalida Ventures celebrated their time at the Center earlier this month with a graduation reception. We’ve enjoyed working with the two businesses and watching their businesses bloom. Please help us celebrate their success and support them in their future endeavors.
See pictures from the reception here.
Read article on small businesses in
Enid News & Eagle
Secretary of Commerce Dave Lopez shares with Executive Leadership Council…
Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce, Dave Lopez, visited with the Executive Leadership Council on Friday, December 9th, to discuss the importance of existing industries in Oklahoma. He stated that 85% of all of our job growth is from current companies and that the other 15% is from entrepreneurial start-ups and new company recruitment. The majority of the start-ups and recruitment have some connection to our current companies. Therefore, he is putting a strong focus on strengthening Oklahoma's current businesses, and he is very excited to see what is happening in Enid. He also shares our concern regarding workforce recruitment. He encourages all Oklahoma businesses to post job openings on www.okjobmatch.com. If enough businesses post on this site, it will be an effective, efficient out-of-state workforce recruitment tool. He also shared other ideas that he think will move us forward in our hunt for a quality workforce.
Our offices will be closed…
Our offices will be closed for Christmas break until January 4th. We will be back and ready to assist you in the New Year. All the best to you and yours during this holiday season. We’ll see you next year!