Ranken Technical College

If you invest your time and money in college, it needs to pay off. Too many students graduate from college with big debt and then struggle to find a job doing what they spent all that time and money studying. Career and technical education is different. Graduates from high-quality technical colleges don’t struggle to find jobs in their fields – they’re in high demand. There are currently more job openings than workers in most technical careers, and employers recognize the importance of technical education in training the workforce they need. When employers have to compete for skilled talent, there are huge benefits for technical college graduates: Higher starting salaries More job opportunities to pick from Less lag time from graduation to employment There’s great long-term potential, because these labor shortages are expected to continue – or even get worse – for at least the next decade. This means that the value of highly skilled workers will only increase. Between the number of job

Matthew Mays graduated with a Certificate in Fabrication and Welding Technology in May 2018. He acknowledges, “I was able to change careers while attending Ranken’s welding program, which put me in a position for a more hands-on approach in my trade with more upward mobility. I believe going through the welding program gave me an advantage over others when I applied for a position at Airgas.” Airgas is an Air Liquide company, a leading single-source supplier of gases, welding equipment and supplies, and safety products. Matt was hired as an Inside Sales Associate at Airgas (Pacific location) in October 2017. His prior welding experience and being enrolled at Ranken made him top pick. January 2021, he was asked to join a new Airgas team as an Outside Sales Support Specialist. Matt oversees sales operations at five locations, “from soup to nuts.” Debra Alexander, Outside Sales Support Manager for Airgas, tells us “I refer to Matt as a rock star! He’s always on time, fully loaded and read

James Green says, “Learning the base tools and what was necessary at the job, was my best takeaway from Ranken, the greatest being structure.” He earned his degree in Internet Web Based Technology May 2009. He is now the Director of Field Services for Verve Industrial Protection. John Livingston, CEO, Verve Industrial Protection, explains “One of the most challenging things about hiring young people is how to spot potential leaders. Leadership is hard to teach, but it has foundational elements: being responsive, having a ‘can do’ attitude, being able to solve new problems, not just knowing the answer to old ones. James was leadership material from the day we met him. He ‘got’ how to work within a team, how to ‘own’ a problem or task and not just do the minimum. His technical abilities are very strong. What sets him apart is his ability to lead. That leadership appeared in his early roles as an individual contributor to projects. It shines particularly as he has grown into building and