Western Nebraska Community College interim President John Marrin says the results of the WNCC Listening Tour from earlier this year will be going public soon with plans for a follow-up tour to discuss the findings next spring.
The Listening Tour asked the members of the public in nearly a dozen communities who attended sessions what they saw as the school’s strengths and weaknesses as well as what could be done to improve them.
      Marrin told the WNCC board earlier this month that nearly every meeting cited the need for more instruction to address shortages in the construction trades.
One way the college is doing that is with mobile labs in trailers for courses in framing, plumbing, HVAC, and plumbing.
Marrin said the instructors in those fields have been working hard to put the trailers together, with at least two already completed.
In fact, he hopes to see them ready to go on tour by the end of the year while also hoping to be able to offer construction classes to high school students and others.
      On a related subject, Marrin told the WNCC board that a preliminary version of the school’s new Strategic Plan will be ready for review by the board by mid-December and for board action at its January meeting.