CWC Approved for two new Certificate Programs

Article courtesy of WYOToday Media

The Wyoming Community College Commission Thursday in Powell approved two new programs for Central Wyoming College, including an Equine Training Advanced Certificate, otherwise known as Colt Starting. According to the college’s application, this certificate is designed to meet the needs of students interested in developing the skills necessary to become a horse trainer, which can safely and effectively start young horses. “Successful graduates of the program will be prepared to start their own training business or will be prepared to find employment with an established professional trainer. The student will need to provide a 2 to 3-year-old horse that has little prior handling. Working with young horses is a challenge, due to the unpredictable nature of horses, and requires the successful student to be physically, mentally, and emotionally fit. The students will be directly assessed on their ability to apply acquired training techniques by demonstrating their competency, mastery, and positive progression through the training and development of their young horse,” according to the college. 

Dr. Kathy Wells, the CWC Vice President of Academic Affairs, said the certificate provides access to the skills needed to train horses that support the agriculture industry and agri-tourism endeavors. She said industry experts in CWC’s service area indicate there is a significant lack of trainers and many are utilizing out of state services. The vote to approve the expanded program was unanimous. 

The second approved program is a Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Certificate II. This program is made possible, according to CWC’s application, through a partnership between Central Wyoming College and the US Department of Labor. According to Dr. Wells, enrolled students must complete 20 credits of career-related online coursework while gaining a minimum of 2000 hours of on-the-job training under the guidance of an experienced on-site mentor.  “At the completion of the required online coursework,” according to the college’s application, “the college will issue a Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Certificate II. Once on-the-job requirements are met and skills competency has been verified by the employer, the apprentice is eligible to take the Certified Medical Assistant exam through the National Center for Competency Testing to receive the National Certified Medical Assistant (NCMA) credential, and may earn a nationally recognized DOL-issued certificate. Apprentices must be 18 years of age or older and have a high school diploma or the equivalent. Apprentices must also be employed by a registered apprenticeship sponsor.”

The two new programs were earlier approved by CWC’s Board of Trustees in May.