For those uncertain if a four-year university is the right path for them, Pierce College offers an alternative.
The students of Canoga Park High School toured the campus on Thursday to learn about the school’s industrial technology department led by Department Chair of Industrial Technology Alex Villalta.
“These events are highly imperative because I feel they create a pathway for the incoming students,” Villalta said. “One of our jobs is to make them feel comfortable and that this college is also their home. The unknown is always intimidating.”
For Villalta, the tour offered an opportunity for the high schoolers to meet the professors and make them aware of what Pierce has to offer.
“By creating these relationships and engaging with their teachers, they are able to see that we are here for them, and make sure they know of these resources,” Villalta said.
Pierce offers two-year programs in disciplines such as welding, automotive technology, computer numerical control (CNC), architecture and electronics, where students can earn a certificate and join the workforce. They can also get an associate’s degree and transfer to a four-year institution.
The students started their tour in the automotive building, which housed several car engines, the front end of a Toyota Corolla with an engine bay and drivetrain and operational vehicles. There was also a Tesla Model 3 so students can learn how to maintain an electric vehicle.
Many Pierce students who have gone through the automotive program have ended up with jobs in places such as Galpin Ford or Northridge Toyota.
Pierce also has the FAST Club, which assists students in the automotive program with studying or gaining more practice with working on a vehicle. For Vice President of the FAST Club Kevin Alcaraz, the club is a community on top of the automotive program.
“It brings a lot of students together,” Alcaraz said. “With the FAST Club, you have somewhere to go that understands what you want to do with your major or where you want to be in your career. A lot of connections in the field can be acquired.”
The students toured the CNC lab and observed the machinery that is used in CNC, as well as items made with CNC, such as a fan from a turbocharger.
Canoga Park High School Engineering Instructor Dennis Paniza said that after speaking with students during the tour, they are more aware of what options they have after high school.
“We are a Title I school. Not every student gets the opportunity to physically see what their next step is after high school, so this is a great opportunity to share that,” Paniza said. “My hope for the students is to help them gain knowledge on what is their next step and that they have the option to control their future.”
Junior Daisy Tecum did not have an initial interest in industrial technology, but after the tour she learned that there are alternative career choices, and how there is a process to manufacture products that she and others use.
“Coming made me change my perspective,” Tecum said. “Everything that is out there in the world has to be designed and created by someone.”
For Villalta, one of the main objectives of the tour was to make sure the students were aware that they have the opportunities in industrial disciplines and that they go into them.
“This is the first time ever that we kicked off an event that intertwines most of industrial technology,” Villata said. “There is a huge shortage of potentially equipped technicians to run the trades right now.”
Many veteran technicians are retiring from industrial disciplines which has contributed to the shortage.
“There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a doctor or a lawyer, but someone built this college,” said Villalta. “This college was built with architects, engineers and welders.”
