Porter and Chester Institute Launches iPads in the Classroom
<0> LANE for Porter and Chester Institute, Inc.Jane Taber, 503-546-7888 </0>
, a nationally ACCSC accredited technical school providing career training since 1946, is supplying iPads for students to use in the classroom in the Medical and Dental Assisting programs at four campuses. The iPads are part of a digital program designed to enhance the educational experience and ensure that students possess the digital proficiency that is required in the workforce, as well as eliminating wasteful and outdated textbooks, offering tech support and troubleshooting apps, and allowing for new teaching and exam methods.
“By providing students with iPads for the classroom, Porter and Chester will be able to produce more qualified and confident graduates who are comfortable with the most up-to-date technology. This is important to employers, who are now adopting these new technologies in their businesses,” said Jim Bologa, CEO of Porter and Chester. “The iPad digital initiative is just one example of how Porter and Chester Institute is increasing its investment in the futures of our students and staying current with the changing education landscape.”
The devices will be introduced at the Enfield and Rocky Hill, Conn., campuses as well as the Westborough and Woburn, Mass., campuses for the April semester start. The use of iPads was successfully piloted in the medical and dental assisting programs at the Chicopee campus last semester. The iPad program will be gradually rolled out to other disciplines at all nine campuses by 2014. Computer technology and design training programs have chosen laptops instead of iPads as the preferred tool for their industries. The iPads or laptops will be included in the students’ tuition fees, and the students are allowed to keep the devices post-graduation.
“Porter and Chester has already seen a great response from our students in the HVAC/R program, and our instructors find the iPad to be a very useful tool in the classroom,” said Dr. Christopher Molnar, curriculum specialist at Porter and Chester Institute. “We are starting to see iPads in use in a variety of professional industries that we train students for careers in, and employers are looking for tech-savvy students. Students will be able to take their iPads into the field and use their skills and apps to troubleshoot any problem.”
Porter and Chester tested and fully implemented the iPad program in Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration classes over the past six months. Porter & Chester received positive feedback from instructors and students, compelling the full rollout of the digital program to all career disciplines.
Porter and Chester Institute, Inc., is a New England-based post-secondary institution with more than 65 years of experience in providing career training in skilled trades, automotive, computers, and healthcare professions. Founded in Connecticut in 1946, the institute trains more than 3,000 students annually through nine campuses in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Porter and Chester Institute is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), approved by the Connecticut Office of Higher Education, and licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of Private Occupational School Education, Division of Professional Licensure. Porter and Chester Institute employs hands-on education to prepare students for successful technical careers. For more information, visit .