|
Capital I.D.E.A. held its Annual Celebration of Achievements this month. This fall Capital IDEA will be celebrating its 10th anniversary. Capital IDEA trains adults for jobs that pay a family wage and have benefits and a career path. On average, graduates go from an annual income of $11,000 to an income of $40,000 per year. The program provides tuition, books, help with transportation costs, and perhaps most importantly, a support group and counselor who help the student remain on task. Capital IDEA was started by Austin Interfaith, an I.A.F. organization. Leaders met with business leaders to find jobs that needed to be filled, supported families; they met with Austin Community College and with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to develop training that would prepare students for these jobs. Most of the jobs have been in the areas of high tech, network administration, nursing, medical technology, electricians, and most lately, education. With the Austin Independent School District, Austin Community College, and St. Edward's University, they have developed the Teacher Pipeline which prepares teacher aides to become teachers. The board of Capital I.D.E.A. is made up of Austin Interfaith leaders and business leaders. Fr. John Korcsmar, C.S.C. is a past board president and is currently on the board; Fr. Joe Tomei, C.S.C. is also currently on the board. Sr. Ann Monica Nguyen, C.S.C. works at Capital IDEA as a counselor. At the celebration, students are recognized for their achievements: completing English as a second language, earning a G.E.D., graduating with a degree, or completing training as a registered nurse, licensed vocation nurse, accounting technician, network administrator, dental hygienist, electronic technician, computer aided design, information technology certificate, power electrical utility technician, x-ray technician, physical therapy assistant, occupational therapy assistant, philebotomy, education, diagnostic medical sonographer.
|
