Moraine Valley Educates for Jobs in High Demand
Palos Hills, IL (PRWEB) January 28, 2014 -- Moraine Valley Community College, Palos Hills, IL embraces the increased demand for GIS technicians in the workforce by offering specialized certificates and two-year Associate in Applied Science degrees in Geographic Information Systems.
“Moraine’s GIS program is an exciting opportunity for students to get into a very appealing, attractive and fast-growing tech-field,” states Chuck Bales, Mechanical Design and Drafting/CAD faculty at Moraine Valley.
GIS technologies extend into a variety of fields and are predominant in both local and federal government agencies, nationally and abroad. The application of GIS can be found in areas as diverse as economics, marketing, politics, crime control/prevention, utility management, environmental study and disease control.
Moraine Valley’s specialized certificates and two-year degrees in Geographic Information Systems allows students to progressively add depth to their current knowledge-base while expanding their design skill set. Moraine Valley’s programs are offered in state-of-the-industry labs in the Center for Contemporary Technology on campus. The instructors have extensive experience in their respective fields, so what students learn in the classroom reflect the skills they need on the job.
There are many job opportunities in Illinois for Geographic Information Systems Specialists and Technicians. According to Indeed.com, average GI salaries for job postings in Illinois are 9% higher than average GI salaries for job postings nationwide. Graduates with a GIS degree can earn up to $80,000 per year in Illinois. In fact, The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the GIS field will grow between 16 and 35 percent from now to 2020.
The GIS Program at Moraine Valley is one of the best around and will save students thousands of dollars. Tuition is considerably less than four-year universities and Moraine’s two-year Associate in Applied Science degree program transfers to select four-year programs. This allows students to take freshman and sophomore level classes while saving thousands of dollars on tuition, and then transfer to complete their technical Bachelor of Science degree at a four-year university.
Financial aid and scholarships are also available, including the Distinguished Scholar Award, which is offered to high school students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their graduating class. This award covers 100 percent of in-district tuition and fees.
The GIS Program at Moraine Valley was created as part of the $3.7 million Department of Labor Technology Grant that focuses on developing high-technology professionals in highly pursued fields such as National Information, Security and Geospatial Technology.
It’s not too late to register for GIS in spring semester, visit morainevalley.edu or contact Dave Termunde at termundeD2(at)morainevalley(dot)edu or 708-974-5543.
Lynn Dohm, Nelly Group, LLC, +1 (815) 717-6546, [email protected]
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