OCC Starting VA Accreditation Process

Now that we have moved into our new facility, we are beginning the process to gain VA Accreditation. A site visit by the VA accrediting officer has occurred, which is the first step in the process.

The VA accreditation will be a positive asset for our campus as we will be able to have students that have the GI Bill, in addition to the VA/VR students. For the Oklahoma College of Construction, this means that we will be able to provide training for a larger demographic of students, as well as students referred from the local and state government agencies.

The strength of our traning programs continues to bring to OCC a variety of students and supporting agencies.

OCC Employee appointed to AGC committee

Wade Vakulick, OCC’s Safety Industry Relations Director, was recommended by the Oklahoma Chapter of the Associated General Contractors to serve on The Associated General Contractors of America Workforce Development committee.

Wade recently received a notification from AGC of America that he had been appointed to the committee! It is in AGC committees that new ideas are developed and legislative policies are formulated within the organization, which makes this a very exciting move for a member of OCC’s staff. Committees also provide an excellent forum for discussion of key construction industry issues.

The Oklahoma College of Construction is thrilled to have Wade serving on this AGC committee as a representative of our school.

We’re In

We have finally completed our move into our new classroom and office facility. Wow! We feel like a BB in a barrel compared to our old campus.

All classrooms are now equipped with audio and visual technology for an enhanced training experience for our students. We are still in the process of getting everything in place, but it is coming together. Our new campus address is 280 Quadrum Drive, Bldg. C in Oklahoma City.

New Crane Program Set to Launch

We are proud to introduce a new and improved Mobile Crane program this upcoming month. 

In effect with our August 27^th class, our students will be introduced to our new 6-week Mobile Crane program.  The program will include mobile crane and rigging certification, and will also help to prepare students for the CCO certification exams. 

Graduates will receive The Crosby Group Rigging certification once the Crosby Group rigging course is completed.

Placement News

We have continued to receive requests for graduates from employers that have hired previous graduates.  Doug from Joule Industrial Contractors (Illinois) called this week looking for another crane graduate to put to work immediately.  Doug has hired three previous crane graduates and has been very pleased with their performance. He has stated all three are doing a great job.  Doug is about to hire a fourth crane operator that has recently graduated from the Oklahoma campus.  Joule, along with other employers, keep coming back to us for additional operators when they have needs.  What a great feeling for our campus, and a testament to the quality we produce here!

Safety Items

Wade Vakulick has finished the revision of the NAHETS Safety and Health Program manual. The old manual was confusing and the contents page did not accurately reflect what was in the manual.

We have been taking a hard look at our field site to identify areas for improvement. In spite of our instructional staff’s diligence, we have noted some areas needing attention. The entire team here at Oklahoma College of Construction has a strong attitude towards the priority of safety, so any deficiencies are short-lived and quickly dealt with to ensure our status remains intact as an industry leader in safety.

The phone has been ringing off the hook for the Industry Relations team. Wade Vakulick attended the Arkansas AGC Mid-year business meeting in July. We have recently renewed our membership in AGC-Texas, and look forward to heading down south to meet and greet some of the folks in that area.

We are gearing up for the Specialized Carriers Riggers Association, Crane and Rigging Workshop in Kansas City, Mo. in September, where we will have an exhibit booth set up. Our goal is to increase our placement rates by establishing some long-term relationships with contractors in our area.

Agency News

The Kansas Workforce Conference turned out to be a national conference with representatives from all over the county. There were counselors from NE, IN, NM, CO and the VA that were extremely interested in our training programs for their clients.  

We are working on getting the paperwork started with Veterans Affairs so we can become an Approved Training School for VA. 

Missouri will be having their big Workforce Governors conference in August, and we are hoping to attend that conference. 

It is a new fiscal year for funding agencies and most of the states we work with have not yet divided the federal funding and are still unsure of the amount of money they will be receiving for training funds.

Placement News

We had a visit from Joe Smith at Herzog, an employer that has hired several of our previous graduates.

Joe came to the OKCC campus and discussed his needs in looking for more employees. He spent time with several staff members here at the school, and spoke with one of the instructors. For several students who were getting ready to graduate, he spent time talking with these students and gave out applications. Joe is looking to hire several people in the very near future and, hopefully, the new employees he hires will be graduates from OCC!

Joe mentioned an attempt to hire graduates from a competing school in the north central US, but that their quality did not measure up to what he had experienced with our graduates. He no longer hires from the competing school.

It was great to hear news that confirmed our feeling about the quality of OCC graduates.

Flying the Flag for NAHETS

As of June 2005, Wade Vakulick was an Instructor for the Oklahoma College of Construction (OCC) . In August of the same year, he was appointed Chief Instructor. A year later…he was in Iraq.

In July of 2006, Wade was contacted by his Air National Guard unit. They notified him that he was to be involuntarily activated to assist in Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom. He was in Iraq for 6 months.

Wade’s duty in Iraq was construction equipment operator, as well as project superintendent of the U.S. Army Iraqi Theater of Operations construction projects on COB Speicher. Before his deployment in Iraq Wade was activated in October of 2006, spent four weeks at Ft. McCoy in Wisconsin to do combat training, and then was deployed to Kuwait.

It was difficult for Wade to be away from his home and family for those 6 months, as it is for all who serve overseas. He also was concerned about what would happen with this job while he was gone. When he learned that he would be able to have his job at the OCC when he returned, he wanted to do something special for NAHETS to show appreciation for its support of him being in Iraq. In all sincerity he said:

“I wanted to bring something back for NAHETS from Iraq that would truly be an honor to hang on the wall, not just the normal little trinkets that one can purchase at the Base Exchange. I am truly grateful for Matt and the others at NAHETS for understanding my situation and as a result, NAHETS helped to contribute to the freedom and security of the United States of America and the Iraqi people.”

While Wade was serving on Coalition Operating Base (COB) near Tikrit, Iraq, he was able to purchase an American Flag. He gave this flag to the Apache Attack Helicopter Squadron “Blue Wolves”, 25 Infantry Division Aviation Brigade. The Blue Wolves had the highest kill ratio of any attack helicopter squadron in Iraq. The Blue Wolves were able to fly the flag in an AH-64D Apache helicopter on an actual combat mission over the skies of Iraq especially for NAHETS. Regarding the event Wade said that “This flag is a one of a kind tribute to a one of a kind company. The flag is a thank you for the support that was shown to my family and me by NAHETS during my 8 months away from work.

Now Wade is back from Iraq and serving as the Business Relations Director for the Oklahoma College of Construction. The OCC is a member college of NAHETS-The National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools.