Bates is the first public college in Washington state to guarantee its graduates that they will be able to do the jobs for which they trained.
Employers appear to be pleased.
Since 1993, Bates has revised its 60 career training programs, which cover areas such as dental assistant, court reporter, manufacturing technology, construction, computer and technology programs. More than 500 labor and management workers helped develop the skills checklist now required in each program for graduation. Graduates must be employed full-time within a year of graduation in a job related to their program of study. During the first 90 days on the job, if the graduate falls down in an area covered in the college curriculum, the employer contacts the college to initiate the guarantee. A training plan is developed by the graduate, the employer, and college personnel.