INDIANAPOLIS — Koorsen Fire & Security, in partnership with the Walker Career Center, received the State of Indiana’s Career & Technical Education (CTE) Partnership Award for Excellence/Secondary Programs at the Awards for Excellence recognition ceremony on February 17 at the Indiana Government Center.
The Indiana CTE Awards for Excellence program recognizes exemplary programs, students, and partnerships that benefit the state. It is sponsored by the Indiana Department of Education and is supported by the Indiana Association of Career and Technical Education Districts (IACTED).
The Koorsen Life Safety Technical Program empowers Walker Career Center students who are enrolled in Engineering and Technical Education programs to become proficient in life safety and eligible for reliable and lucrative jobs upon graduation. Currently in its second year, the program was piloted at the Walker Career Center during the 2015-2016 school year, and seven of ten recipients received paid summer internships after graduation. All seven were offered full-time jobs after the completion of internships.
Developed by Koorsen’s Corporate Manager Systems Service, Tom Zornes, the Life Safety Technical Program is an ideal example of how education and business can and should work together to provide students with an excellent technical education that realistically aligns career paths with work-based experiences, leading to full-time employment after graduation.
Students enrolled in the program are not only exposed to classroom experience led by industry professionals, they also receive hands-on training at the nationally-acclaimed Koorsen Training Center. Students who successfully complete the program receive fire alarm and fire sprinkler certification along with six Honeywell certifications in security.
The Koorsen Fire Safety Technical Program is a win-win for all: Koorsen benefits by acquiring young, skilled employees who are Koorsen-trained and already invested in a long-term career at a Koorsen location; the State of Indiana benefits through a stronger, more technically skilled workforce; the Walker Career Center benefits by continuing to uphold its reputation for offering technical programs that offer excellence in education.
