Nine new SECS programs give professionals an extra edge

By Dave Groves, staff writer

News of Michigan’s and the nation’s economic outlook continues to raise serious concerns for workers, and those in established and emerging technical fields are by no means immune from the cutbacks that have impacted virtually every industry.

In order to give highly educated and skilled professionals every advantage in finding or keeping positions in their field, Oakland University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science has created nine certificate programs designed to ensure that enrollees are versed in the latest industry developments. Officials say that this, coupled with years or even decades of experience they’ve acquired will help put workers in greater demand.

Bhushan Bhatt, SECS associate dean and professor of engineering, said the certificate programs were developed with the needs of recently displaced professionals in mind. He noted that OU recognizes that in today’s economic climate, technical professionals need more to bolster their job searches than freshly polished resumes and enhanced interview skills.

“This is an attempt on our part to help people,” Bhatt said. “We wanted to do something better for them, something cogent.”

The result is a series of educational offerings divided into two categories – skills rebuilding programs for computer scientists and computer, mechanical and robotics engineers; and professional development programs for professionals working in embedded systems, mechatronics, and mechanical and industrial engineering.

Completion of the programs involves up to 120 hours of instruction, and credits earned in the professional development programs can be applied toward related graduate degree programs if enrollees choose to pursue further education.

Because courses are designed to bring workers up to date in the latest technical advances, theory and practice, they also can be of great advantage to currently employed professionals.

“When you do a routine job day after day, one can get trapped and may not be aware of many new developments in the field,” Bhatt explained. “This gives people a chance to have exposure to the things they may not be seeing at work.”

The courses also may be of interest and great advantage to technical workers presently working in or who aspire to work in multi-disciplinary and cross platform industry environments.

Good news for unemployed technical professionals is that all certificate programs the SECS offers are now in the process of being approved for state tuition assistance through the Michigan Works program. Bhatt said he and other program developers hope this will provide an opportunity for displaced workers to take advantage of Oakland University’s efforts to help get them back on the job.

“We are ready to launch these programs,” Bhatt said. “We just need a critical mass of people to show interest in these programs.”

To learn more about the SECS certificate programs, visit http://www2.oakland.edu/secs/ or call (248) 370-2233 or (248) 370-2217. For more information about the Michigan Works program at Oakland University, visit www.oakland.edu/michiganworks.