Bates Technical College

Bates Technical College is a public technical college located in Tacoma, Washington, USA. The college offers two-year Associate of Applied Science degrees, academic certificates, and industry certifications. Bates is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, and maintains articulation agreements with several four-year colleges and universities. Some two-year degrees offered by this college are transferable.

Bates operates three campuses in Tacoma, occupying a total of approximately 650,000 square feet (60,000 m²) of classrooms, shops, meeting rooms, and offices.

History

In 1940 a technical education program was founded in the basement of Hawthorne Elementary School. During the 1941-42 school year, the program was officially named the Tacoma Vocational School. In 1944 LaVerne Hazen Bates (L.H. Bates) became the school's director. In 1947 the school changed its name to the Tacoma Vocational-Technical Institute. After L.H. Bates retired in 1969, the Tacoma School Board changed the school's name to the "L. H. Bates Vocational Technical Institute." In 1991, the state separated the state's vocational technical institutes from the local school districts and they came under the auspices of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

Enrollment and academics

Classes at Bates run from September to August with quarter-based academic and enrollment calendar. Weekly information sessions are held to help students select and develop an area of interest.

Classroom settings are similar to the workplace in a related field, and students are evaluated as they would be at a business. The college claims to works closely with industries pertaining to career education areas to constantly update their curriculum. The college offers extended learning, business and management training, home and family life programs, and apprenticeship training.

Students can earn an Associate of Applied Science degree, Associate of Applied Science-T degree, Certificate of Competency, or a Certificate of Training. Classes are also offered in basic studies, ESL and GED preparation. A technical high school and a Running Start program are available to students 16–20 years of age who have not yet earned a high school diploma. Worker retraining funds provide unemployed and laid-off workers with immediate access to training at Bates.

Community relations

Bates has been a part of the Puget Sound community for nearly 75 years. The college has partnerships with businesses and industry organizations, both locally and internationally The student body and staff are involved in public events, hosted at Bates and throughout the community, including an annual Global Heritage Celebration, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, and a Disability Awareness Day. Staff in Bates' Diversity Center develop outreach strategies to focus on ethnic and other specific communities and organizations. Students and faculty members are introduced to civic and professional organizations, and faculty and administration are invited to speak to those groups.

External links

• Official website