Chickasaw Institute offers career courses


This article appeared in the May 2018 edition of the Chickasaw Times

ARDMORE, Okla. - The Chickasaw Institute has announced a new semester of career courses for Chickasaw citizens.

Chickasaw Institute partners with technology centers, universities and colleges throughout the state to provide courses in online, classroom and on-the-job career training, offering opportunities for professional and personal development.

Citizens can apply for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), nursing assistant certification, medical coding or construction technology certification programs.

The HVAC, nursing assistant and construction technology programs are available in Ardmore. Classes are conducted at the Southern Oklahoma Technology Center. Participants will attend classes and complete on-the-job learning at Chickasaw Nation sites during the program.

The medical coding course takes place at the Carl Albert Service Center in Ada, Oklahoma. Clinicals take place at Chickasaw Nation health facilities.

Courses begin in August. Duration varies with each program.

Classes and job training are free to citizens. Eligible citizens can receive hourly pay for on-the-job training up to 40 hours per week for the duration of the program.

Applications can be submitted online at Chickasaw.net/ChickasawInstitute and are due by Friday, June 1. The most recent high school or college transcript is required with applications.

HVAC Program

One year beginning Monday, July 30, 2018

Monday-Friday
In-class instruction: 8-11 a.m.
Job-site learning: 1-5 p.m.

Students will learn the skills that prepare them to work as heating, air conditioning and/or refrigeration technicians. Graduates of this program work to keep workplaces and homes heated and cooled efficiently, and maintain and install equipment that keeps food fresh or frozen in supermarkets and restaurants.

This class may count for up to two of the three years required for the Mechanical Journey worker’s License Apprenticeship. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certification for refrigerant handling is also available.

Construction Technology Certificate:

Aug. 15, 2018–May 20, 2019
Monday-Friday, 8-11 a.m. and noon-3:30 p.m.

Instruction topics range from safety to advanced construction techniques. Students will have the opportunity to earn a 10-hour Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) card during the course.

After completing this program, students will earn these certificates:

  • National Center for Construction Education & Research
  • Construction Trainee
  • OSHA 10-hour card
  • Power Actuated Card
  • NCCER Leel 1
  • Frame Carpenter
  • NECCER Cabinet Module
  • Cabinet Making
  • National Career Readiness Certification

Nursing Assistant Program

Aug. 15, 2018–May 20, 2019
Monday-Friday, 8-11 a.m. and noon-3:30 p.m.

Participants will have the opportunity to earn Long-Term Care Certified Nursing Aide and Medication Administration Technician certifications. This course is accredited through the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

The program combines classroom instruction with on-the-job learning and is a stepping stone to prepare students for Licensed Practical Nursing programs.

After completing this program, students will earn these certificates:

  • Long-term care Aide
  • CPR
  • Medication Administration technician
  • First Aid
  • Nation career Readiness Certification

Medical Coding Certification Program

Classes start in August, and take place Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Clinicals take place Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Class sessions take place at the Carl Albert Service Center in Ada, Oklahoma.

Clinicals take place at the department of health location closest to the participant’s home.

Instruction is taught through a combination of online modules, instructor presentations and clinical experience over the course of a year. Twenty hours of classroom/workshop training and 20 hours of on-the-job learning will be completed each week.

After successful completion of the medical coding program, students may apply to take national certification examinations.

To learn more, contact (580) 310-7904 or ChickasawInstitue@chickasaw.net.