Environmental Health & Safety

http://www2.pvc.maricopa.edu/hazmat/

Paradise Valley Community College initiated the environmental health and safety curriculum in fall, 1996. Currently, focus in credit offerings is on an associate of applied science degree and two certificates of completion. These options require a minimum of 68, 44, and 21 credits (respectively); each incorporates six core courses in Hazardous Materials Technology recommended by and designed in concert with an advisory council of working professionals functioning in a variety of roles within the environmental industry.

In addition to a ladder curriculum which leads to an associate degree, the college has joined into an innovative 2+2 program with the University of Findlay which allows graduates to transfer their A.A.S.degree to Findlay and take an additional 62 hours of course work taught by University of Findlay faculty at the PVCC campus. Completion of the course requirements leads to the awarding of a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science Management. The first three graduates of the joint program matriculated in spring, 2000. The program's importance lies in that courses are flexibly structured to meet the unique schedules of industry students and in that it recognizes the reality that many environmental health and safety students move from vocational experiences into theoretical classroom settings and back again, incorporating the best of both worlds as they advance in their careers.

College staff are actively involved in offering short courses and workshops to meet specific business and industrial needs. Cooperation between environmental science faculty and the division of continuing education has led to successful training opportunities for several local industries. A current example is a cooperative agreement between the college and the City of Phoenix which will lead to the training and certification of thirty two employees in hazardous material technology emphasizing water quality and safety.

Internationally, the college recently completed a two year co-operative project with the Technical University of Tabasco,Villa Hermosa, Tabasco, Mexico in which staff members worked with their Mexican colleagues to develop a comprehensive environmental safety program to train technicians in hazardous materials, emphasizing water quality and safety and issues dealing with oil extraction. The initial program has been so successful that the college and the University of Tabasco are significantly expanding their joint efforts .

Recognizing the University's commitment to innovation and community development and the potential of the state of Tabasco as a center for Mexico's future economic development due to its oil and water resources and its accessible ports, Paradise Valley staff are involved in the creation of the first consortium for the development of a systematic and comprehensive curriculum in hazardous materials throughout Mexico. In addition, as a direct offshoot of the program, staff are involved in assisting the university in the development of its computer and communications systems, in the preservation of indigenous plants now endangered, and in the promotion of unique native arts and crafts. Relationships developed through the implementation of the hazardous materials curriculum and in-service training have opened a new array of opportunity for a unique community development program.

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