Education Briefs – December 2007

EvCC seeks tax prepares, volunteers for Tax-Aide

Everett Community College and AARP are seeking volunteers for their free Tax-Aide program Jan. 31 through April 15.

The college’s accounting department is partnering with AARP to offer free tax assistance to middle- and low-income taxpayers, with an emphasis on those who are age 60 and older.

Tax-Aide is seeking volunteer tax preparers and client facilitators. Volunteers can opt to earn credit for their work through EvCC — one credit for 30 hours or two credits for 60 hours of work.

The deadline for volunteers to sign up is Dec. 13.

Volunteer tax preparers must pass the AARP Tax-Aide course and the IRS final exam. They will interview clients about their intake information and prepare a complete tax return with the client.

Volunteer client facilitators will greet taxpayers, explain the return preparation process and assist in the completion of intake documents.

To volunteer or for more information, call Laura Little at 425-388-9565 or send e-mail to llittle@everettcc.edu.

Mukilteo Hall to open this winter at EdCC

Mukilteo Hall, a 58,000-square-foot classroom building, will open this winter at Edmonds Community College, with a grand opening set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 31.

The $14.5 million, four-story building will house classrooms for the college’s adult literacy programs — high school completion, English as second language, adult basic education and GED preparation classes. It also will house the college’s math lab and tutoring center.

The college’s new 11,000-square-foot black-box theater with 200 seats, space for theater arts classes, performances and other events also will open in the building. New theater courses this winter will include a playwriting workshop, movement for the stage and acting, voice, diction and technical theater classes. Winter classes run from Jan. 7 through March 21.

The first show in the new theater will be the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Anna in the Tropics,” by Nilo Cruz, March 6 through 15. Auditions for this show will be 6 p.m., Jan. 10 and 11 in Mukilteo Hall. Call 425-640-1046 or go to www.edcc.edu/theatre for more information.

School for real estate appraisers opens in Everett

Lightworks Institute, a school for real estate appraisers and other related professionals, recently opened in downtown Everett, school officials said.

Classes are designed to accommodate real estate appraiser trainees, state-licensed real estate appraisers, certified general real estate appraisers, and certified residential real estate appraisers, according to the school. Students can take classes to become trainees, and certified appraisers can take courses to fulfill the new state requirements.

Michael Lightbourne, principal and head instructor at Lightworks Institute, has 20 years of experience in appraisal and business management. He also is president and chief appraiser of Lightworks Appraisal Services located on the same premises.

“Our goal is to give students insight and teach them how to provide ethical, accurate, trustworthy appraisals,” Lightbourne said. “We want to give our students solidarity and make a real difference in the appraisal industry.”

The institute is located at 2701 Wetmore Ave., Suite 302, across from the Everett Performing Arts Center. It has two large classrooms, study areas, a computer lab for student use, wireless Internet, parking and instruction from experienced appraisers.

For more information about Lightworks Institute or to register for classes, go online to www.lightworksinstitute.com.

EdCC construction management program nationally recognized

The construction management program at Edmonds Community College has been accredited by the American Council for Construction Education and is now one of eight similarly accredited associate degree programs in the United States and Canada, with the next closest in Saskatchewan.

The council is the recognized accrediting agency for four-year and two-year degree programs in construction, EdCC said. To gain accreditation, a college’s program must meet the council’s standards following a peer review and site visit.

The college’s construction management program serves about 200 students each quarter. It is designed for people who have prior experience in the construction trades who plan to move into supervision and estimating careers. It teaches business and project management, estimating, codes, inspection and construction-related computer applications.

The American Council for Construction Education will continue to guide the college’s program and review its accreditation after five years. Locally, an active advisory board made up of stakeholders from the construction and inspection community helps develop the program.

There are 60 baccalaureate degree construction programs in the United States similarly accredited by the council, including at the University of Washington, Central Washington University and Washington State University, EdCC said.

For more information about construction management at EdCC, call 425-640-1026, send e-mail to const@edcc.edu or go online to http://const.edcc.edu.

Fluke to donate equipment to educators through new program

Fluke Corp., an Everett-based maker of handheld electronic test and measurement technology, recently said it will donate two of its high-performance Fluke 289 True-rms Industrial Logging Multimeters with TrendCapture to each of 10 qualifying educational institutions through a new Fluke Education Grant Program.

Designed to help ensure that educators, students and entry-level professionals have access to state-of-the-art technology, the program enables instructors in accredited programs to apply for grants of the Fluke 289 to be used in training students to diagnose problems in electronics, plant automation, power distribution and electromechanical equipment.

Members of the Fluke Education Partnership Program can apply for the grant by completing the grant application form available on the Fluke Education Partnership Web site. The Fluke Education Partnership is a Web-based program offering educators in technical, university and apprenticeship programs free curriculum materials and a 25 percent discount on all Fluke handheld test tools. Membership is free. To register, go online to www.fluke.com/education.

Deadline for applications is Dec. 15. The 10 winning institutions will be announced in February 2008. Each will receive a pair of Fluke 289 True-rms Industrial Logging Multimeters with TrendCapture valued at $529.95 each, to be delivered in March 2008.