The Ute Mountain Ute tribe has been awarded $8 million in education grants to prepare teenagers and adults for technology and health care careers.
A $2.5 million grant from the Sustainable Employment Economic Development Strategies (SEEDS) will fund programs for technology and workplace skills.
And a $5.5 million Health Professions Opportunity grant will provide classes and training for students to become certified for jobs in medical fields.
Both grants target unemployed and underemployed tribal members, including in the tribe’s White Mesa, Utah community. The tribal member unemployment rate hovers around 40 percent.
To help, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the grants to fund basic education and career training programs over a five-year period through the Ute Mountain Learning Center, based in Towaoc.
“The goal is to strenuously urge our students to complete the programs and achieve the qualifications needed to be placed in good jobs,” said Scott Baker, director of higher education for the Learning Center.
The grants pay for nine teachers and caseworkers, textbooks, computers, distance-learning equipment and college courses that are broadcast to a centralized computer classroom. Tuition is free, and the goal is to serve 300 students a year.
The Learning Center is partnering with San Juan College, Utah State University, and Southwest Colorado Community College to provide a variety of courses and career training.
The program has two levels, Baker said. One component focuses on basic education including literacy, life skills, workplace behavior, study habits and high school equivalency diploma.
The other level is training for the professional fields, especially in health and technology careers, that pay more than minimum wage.
“We estimate that about half the adult population here does not have a secondary education or has a low literacy level,” Baker said. “That is half the population unable to get a foot into self-sustaining economic stability.”
Baker refers to the expanded educational programs as “The Nest” where students get intensive local support to succeed in academics one step at a time.
“We target those who don’t have the experience of following through. Once they get a taste of success, it’s easier to finish the second class, the third – it builds a climate of success,” he said. “Adults need internal confidence, not just the external coercion they grew up with in the classroom.”
The tribe is encouraging students go for health careers requiring 1-2 years of training. Starting pay in the jobs is about $11 per hour. Positions include home health aid, personal care providers, medical assistant, phlebotomist, certified nurse assistant and medical scribe.
The grant funding will also fund paid internships for qualified students at area hospitals.
“Crossing the threshold into a professional setting is when things click for students,” Baker said. “They are doing the job they trained for, earning a paycheck, and are getting their foot in the door to get hired on permanently.”
Case workers are taking a more direct approach to recruitment. They have a list of adults in need, including those in the nearby Bureau of Indian Affairs jail.
“We’re moving toward home visits, not just fliers,” said Tanya Taylor, adult education coordinator. “The plan is to address needs, feed students through workforce classes so they are ready for the next level of professional training.”
Student Sarah Collins, of Towaoc, is taking evening classes to prepare for returning to college.
“I plan on taking more classes, and it’s convenient because the school is located here in town,” she said. “It’s good to see all of us tribal members learning together.”
Navajo Aaron Henry is a newly hired caseworker for the Learning Center. He has a degree in physical education from Haskell Indian Nation University, and can relate to the educational frustrations growing up on the reservation in New Mexico.
“I’ve been there feeling hopeless and left behind, but I realized I will not go anywhere without education,” he said. “Because of similar experiences, I gain the trust of my clients, and help them take the next step towards a better job and a better life through higher education and training.”
For more information on programs, call the Ute Mountain Learning Center at 970-564-5471.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com