Dr. Daria J. Willis is featured in the April edition of I95 Business magazine, sharing her vision for transforming into the region’s educator of choice for skilled trades.
Under Dr. Daria J. Willis, president, Howard Community College is working to transform itself into the state leader in skilled trades education and apprenticeship programs. Her efforts as a leader and advocate for community colleges and the skilled trades was recently highlighted in I95 Business magazine as the April cover story.
“Times are changing, the workforce is changing,” Dr. Willis tells I95 Business. “We’ve become very successful in apprenticeship training models that are out there. We love our apprenticeship model because it allows students to learn and earn money at the same time. They’re getting experience with the employer and receiving income.”
The college is seeking funding to construct a future workforce development and skilled trades building at the front of campus to emphasize the importance of trade education to the future of Howard County and the State of Maryland. The building would allow for new programs in renewable energy and automotive technology, including electric vehicles. There would also be dedicated labs and classrooms for existing apprenticeship programs that currently do not have on-campus facilities, such as electrical, plumbing, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.
Read more about Dr. Willis and her passion for the skilled trades.