GIS – KCC Prepares Students For High Wage High Skilled Jobs

Kaua`i Community College will hold an Open House interactive exhibition for the public, Monday, November 30, 2015, from 3:30 pm – 7:00 pm, in its One Stop Center, to provide information about the wide range of professional opportunities available to those who receive training to become Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysts.  Exhibits will include an Augmented Reality Sandbox constructed by KCC’s Cognition Center and a Giant Traveling Map on loan from the National Geographic Society, courtesy of the MEDA Women in Technology Project.  Educators, members of the business community, students of all ages, parents, and friends are encouraged to attend.

KCC received a grant to develop new courses in Geography and Geographic Information Systems.  These STEM-based courses will provide students with a set of skills that are in great demand in the workplace in this rapidly expanding professional field.   At KCC students can earn two professional certificates upon successful completion of the courses.   

What can a person trained in GIS do in the professional world?  The possibilities are far-reaching and employment can be in virtually any industry.  Jobs are high-wage; high-skilled, where GIS specialists find employment in natural resources, government, business, health and human services, tourism, public safety, utilities and communication.   Work might involve determining tsunami evacuation zones and monitoring climate change for environmental and conservation organizations; tracking locations of tiger sharks and other land and sea predators and pests; documenting the growth of invasive plant species;  solving serial crimes such as arson; planning communities, tracking road networks and determining effective land use; monitoring population and economic trends; documenting water and other natural resources,  and the effects of river erosion and soil density for ag-related industries—and more.  

For information about the GIS courses at KCC, contact Annika Wilczewski at 245-8371.