November 12, 2009  8:00 a.m.

GCC facilitates regional accreditation workshop

Over 100 participants from six institutions of higher learning around Micronesia are attending a two-day training workshop designed to help them maintain their accreditation. The workshop, entitled “Building Regional Capacity for Assessment: Tools and Lessons for Successful Accreditation Visits,” takes place Thursday and Friday, November 12 and 13, in the Gallery at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa.

Representatives from the College of Micronesia (FSM), the Northern Marianas College (CNMI), the College of the Marshall Islands, and Palau Community College will join faculty and administrators from Guam Community College and the University of Guam at the workshop. The keynote speakers will be Dr. Barbara Beno, President of the Accrediting Commission for Colleges and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), and Mr. Jack Pond, ACCJC Vice President.

The workshop is designed to help the higher education institutions in Micronesia better understand the accreditation process, and how to gather and maintain evidence that will validate the findings of their respective self-study reports. This process of validation is critical to accreditation. Conference discussions will center around identifying and analyzing the most common accreditation deficiencies as they relate to ACCJC standards. Also to be discussed are ways in which the individual Pacific colleges can turn accreditation deficits into areas of strength through mentoring, resource sharing, and partnership.

“GCC launched its own accreditation preparations in September, even though our accreditation visit is not scheduled until Spring 2012. It takes that long to prepare for this process,” said GCC President Dr. Mary Okada. “What we all learn from Dr. Beno and Mr. Pond during this training session will be invaluable, not only to each of our respective institutions, but to higher education in Micronesia as a whole.”

Guam Community College, in conjunction with the Pacific Post-Secondary Education Council (PPEC) and the ACCJC, is coordinating and hosting the conference. 

For more information, contact Jayne Flores, GCC Asst. Director of Communications & Promotions, at 735-5638 (office), 988-5231 (cell), or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

November 9, 2009  9:00 a.m.

GCC apprenticeships at all-time high

Guam Community College’s apprenticeship program posted its highest number of apprentices in the college’s history for its July – September 2009 quarterly report. GCC currently has 326 active apprentices assigned to 50 employers on island. Of those 326 active apprentices, 272 are currently enrolled at GCC for the Fall 2009 semester. The remaining 54 apprentices have either finished their coursework or have not met the registration deadline, but are still currently active apprentices registered through GCC with the U.S. Department of Labor. In comparison, the April – June quarterly report noted 267 apprentices assigned to 40 employers. The difference signals an 18 percent increase in apprentices and a 20 percent increase in employers from the second to the third quarter of 2009.

The number of male apprentices is 285, and 41 females are enrolled in the apprenticeship program for the third quarter. The five employers with the highest number of apprentices are as follows:

GTA Teleguam:                                 44 apprentices

Port Authority of Guam:                    31 apprentices

Guam Waterworks Authority:           22 apprentices

Guam Police Department:               20 apprentices

DZSP 21:                                          18 apprentices

GCC works with 41 private sector employers and nine government agencies in its apprenticeship program. The top three positions in the program are line installer repairman, office manager/administrative secretary, and telecommunications technician.

“Our record enrollment in the apprenticeship program signals not only that individuals want to learn the skills that will allow them to become more productive members of Guam’s workforce, but that Guam businesses are willing to partner with GCC in order to produce better-trained workers,” said George Santos, assistant director of GCC’s Apprenticeship Training Program.

Reilly Ridgell, Dean of Trades & Professional Services at GCC, noted that the high number of apprentices enrolled this fall semester signals that “GCC is able to meet the training and educational needs of many of the island’s workers.” Ridgell observed that many of the businesses that host GCC apprentices go on to hire those people upon their graduation from the program. “GCC has an excellent working relationship with the businesses on island that provide apprenticeship opportunities for our students,” Ridgell said. He noted that the training these 326 apprentices receive provides them with skills that will sustain their employment well beyond Guam’s anticipated military buildup.

For more information, contact Jayne Flores, GCC Asst. Director of Communications & Promotions, at 735-5638 (office), 988-5231 (cell), or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .