Tech Talent
New Pima Community College Chancellor Focused on Meeting Tech Needs
By Tiffany Kjos
Pima Community College is investing millions of dollars into innovative training programs aimed at fulfilling the urgent demand here for skilled employees in technical fields.
“We’re very much a career-oriented institution, so all of our degrees and certificate programs have some emphasis on technology because no matter what you’re doing, whether it’s in healthcare, cybersecurity, aviation, and even recently, working on our education area, there’s a huge technological component,” said Jeffrey Nasse, who stepped into the PCC chancellor’s job in August 2024 with an eye toward feeding the talent pipeline.
“There are, of course, programs specific to technology,” he said of PCC’s offerings. “We have a lot of applied technology programs that are in really high demand.”
The college offers dozens of degrees, certificates and short-term programs in tech, including the PimaFastTrack program, which provides hands-on training in as few as two months in areas such as building and construction technology, information technology and automotive technology.
Pima works closely with the Arizona Technology Council, the University of Arizona Tech Parks and local employers to ensure that its programs are relevant.
“We have a lot of integration,” said Nasse, a former U.S. Marine who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from East Carolina University, and then a Ph.D. in educational leadership and research methodology from Florida Atlantic University.
“One of the phrases we use at Pima is ‘market-driven curriculum,’” Nasse said. “So, we are really reliant on building a lot of partnerships with our local industries to help inform what we’re teaching, and that, of course, includes technology.”
Among those partners is AGM Container Controls, a Tucson-based manufacturer of hardware for missiles, nuclear reactors and the International Space Station. AGM, which also makes automated wheelchairs, has offered tuition reimbursement to its employees since the 1970s. Just over 20% of AGM’s 135-140 employees participate in the program, many taking STEM courses relevant to their roles.
“One of the common complaints amongst my fellow manufacturers is, ‘We can’t find the skilled people that we need,’” said AGM President and CEO Howard Stewart. “AGM doesn’t really have that problem because we’re constantly creating pathways for people to move up in our organization. And by the way, that’s why we also have a great retention rate. Our turnover rate is less than half that of the national average for U.S. manufacturers. And I think in part it’s because the tuition reimbursement program keeps people with us.”
AGM employees can go to any accredited institution, but most choose Pima. The college offers deferred billing that allows employees to attend school and not have to pay tuition up front, which could be a burden. If they pass and meet requirements, the college bills the employer.
“The reason these employers, these industries, are engaged with us is because they need good talent to fill these programs,” Nasse said. “There are some programs like the cyber program, applied technology and building construction where we can’t put graduates out fast enough.”
The demand is so high that employers conducting mock interviews on campus often hire students immediately. “So, it’s actually a challenge, because we’re trying to get more people (into classes). The whole idea is expanding capacity,” Nasse said.
The college has several Centers of Excellence that merge industry with training and education, including the Center of Excellence in Applied Technology at the Downtown Campus. That center features a $12.5 million Automotive Technology and Innovation Center, a $35 million Advanced Manufacturing building and a Science and Technology building that is undergoing renovation and will house building construction sciences and Workforce Development Pathways.
“The facilities really are top tier, with a significant investment in the facility itself and the equipment that goes into those facilities,” Nasse said. “I think it’s really important that students are seeing things that they will see out in the world. We don’t want to have students working on equipment and facilities that are 10 years behind what they’re going to see out in the industry.”
The $33 million Center of Excellence in Health Professions features high-tech labs and $2.5 million in HUD-funded equipment. “We have a huge simulation component in the Center for Excellence in Health Professions, and the technology in that curriculum, in that building, is just amazing,” Nasse said.
Pima also expanded its Aviation Technology Center at Tucson International Airport, doubling its size to 87,000 square feet and increasing student capacity to 250. Students can earn an associate’s degree in about two years or complete one of eight certificates in less time.
“For the aviation program, for example, you’re not in school forever,” Nasse said. “And I think that’s an important point, too. In aviation, particularly, they can quickly move through the ladder and be working really good-paying jobs.”
One of the fastest-growing fields at Pima is cybersecurity, supported by its “live fire” Cyber Warfare Range, which allows students and community members to engage in real-world cyber-attacks and defenses at the Center of Excellence in Information Technology and Cybersecurity at the East Campus.
“It’s really an amazing facility. I was just at a conference in Wisconsin, and Pima was featured for the Arizona Cyber Warfare Range,” Nasse said. “In fact, the state of Arizona is partnering with our cyber program to train with them – that’s how advanced that program is.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean hourly wage in Tucson in May 2024 was $29.91. “Computer and mathematical” occupations, on the other hand, have a mean hourly wage of $51.03.
“We track job placements, and in fact we evaluate our programs now with the median wage outcomes,” Nasse said. “We never want people to graduate from programs at PCC to go into a low-paying job. It’s in our name: community college. That’s another one of the things we’re really proud of – the vast majority of our students are from here and they stay here.”
Pictured above – Jeffrey Nasse, Chancellor, Pima Community College. Photo by Brent G. Mathis
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