Denver, July 23, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Securing a job after college is more difficult than ever before. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the unemployment rate among young college graduates was 10.4 percent in 2010 and 9.4 percent over the last year (April 2011 - March 2012). In the face of this statistic, Westwood College recently announced its Westwood Success Stories - a group of 100 graduates who, despite the current economic situation, have graduated and found successful employment in their field of study after receiving skills-based education and degrees from Westwood
See video from Westwood College at: http://inr.synapticdigital.com/westwood/westwoodsuccess
ABC News reports that technology companies are
unable to fill 300,000 jobs because they can't find qualified
candidates. Fields such as health care and manufacturing continue
to add jobs, creating opportunities for graduates with the right
skills needed to secure employment and hit the ground running. Not
all state and private universities focus on the real-world skillset
needed to succeed in these industries. Career colleges like
Westwood are
designed to deliver the hands-on, technical skills and training in
a wide variety of fields from technology and design to healthcare
and business.
The Westwood Success Stories demonstrate how, even in the face of
personal challenges - lack of family and peer support,
single-parent childcare obligations, juggling multiple jobs or lack
of transportation to and from campus - obtaining a degree and
employment are possible. From a variety of degree programs and
located across the country, this group's collective determination
and dedication are an inspiration to current Westwood College
students, faculty and staff showing them through personal accounts
how the hands-on training students receive from a career college
education pays off.
Nearly half of the students attending Westwood are single parents
and most are working either full- or part-time while getting their
education. More than 60 percent of students are the first in their
families to pursue a higher education degree, and more than half of
Westwood's students have tried, but have not been successful at
traditional universities or community colleges prior to enrolling
at Westwood.
"We recognize that finding employment upon graduation is
challenging for all college students in today's economic climate,
but our Westwood Success graduates demonstrate what can be achieved
when students are given hands-on education or instruction in their
fields, significant support and embrace taking personal
responsibility to overcome obstacles and challenges," said Dean
Gouin, system president and chief executive officer of Westwood
College.
One Westwood Success Story, Efrain Gastelum of Los Angeles, is a
graduate of the Information and Network Technologies program with a
bachelor's degree in Network Management, and is now working as the
manager of network operations and emerging technologies at Tangram
Interiors. While in school, working full time as a manager at an
oil change shop, having a full course load, balancing the birth of
his first daughter and being a mentor to younger students tested
his commitment to Westwood. "I learned that if you fail to plan,
well, plan on failing," Efrain said. "Westwood worked for me
because they had an individual plan for success. The availability
of online and evening classes allowed me to continue to work and
support my family and the instructors became mentors-more than just
teachers."
Other success stories include:
• Rosie - a graduate from the Graphic Design & Multimedia
program, is now working for Hybrid Design. From a large family with
a single mom, Rosie didn't have the resources to attend a
traditional university.
• Casey - a graduate with an Associate Degree in Medical Assisting,
is now working for a large health care office. Casey transferred
from another college, and worked to balance time for school and her
family while attending Westwood
• Armando - a graduate from the Computer Aided Design/Architectural
Drafting program, is now working as a CAD Designer. He decided to
make a change from working evenings and weekends, to pursuing a
career.
To learn more about the Westwood Success Stories program go to
http://www.westwoodsuccess.com/. You can also watch
testimonial videos of select Westwood Success graduates on Westwood's
YouTube channel.
About Westwood College
Westwood College is an institution of higher learning with 14
campuses located in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois and
Virginia. Westwood offers a hands-on, career-focused curriculum in
fields such as healthcare, technology and business. Westwood is
nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent
Colleges and Schools (ACICS). A 2012 survey conducted by Noel-Levitz
showed Westwood students are significantly more satisfied than the
comparison group of approximately 125 public and private colleges,
particularly in the areas of course content, quality of instruction
and the school meeting their career goals. For more information,
visit http://www.westwood.edu.