Wonder why your instructors are giving out surveys?

Kayla Sallee

Saddleback College is conducting the Vocational Education State Grants, also known as the VTEA survey or the Perkins survey.

“Perkins comes from the name Carl D. Perkins,” Mary Williams, acting director of supplemental funding and support services said.

Carl D. Perkins was a congressman from Kentucky’s 7th District who had a passion for supporting education and the under-privileged.

After his death, the Perkins Loan was created as a need-based student loan offered by the U.S. Department of Education to assist American college students with college funding.

“Carl D. Perkins is a man always making sure the states have money,” Williams said.

Every state applies for funds and congress sets aside money.

Williams said that California gets more money than other states and decides where that money is placed.

There is a Perkins debate every five years deciding about whether high schools or colleges should receive more money.

Every semester Saddleback College does a report on which students are applicable for the funding.  Saddleback College then tells Sacramento the numbers.

Approximately $400,000 is divided between Saddleback College and Irvine.  Saddleback has more students, so therefore receives most of the money.

From 2009-2010 $265,000 was given to Saddleback College.  About $100,000 was given to Irvine.

“Every department chair in each career technical area decides what they need the funds for.”  Williams said.

The money is spent on maintaining the garden so things don’t die, and money for equipment and the ability to increase hours of lab assistance.

The funds also provide money for professional development for current, up-to-date learning.

Every three months Mary Williams fills out what Saddleback College used the money towards.

This is the last semester Saddleback College will be using the VTEA survey.

“From now on students will take the survey when they register,” Williams said.

This way it will be more accurate and we will be able to keep track of every student enrolled.

The week of Oct. 12 through Oct. 19 is when professors are introducing these surveys to the students.

This survey consists of five short questions being: What is your marital status?  How many children or others are financially dependent on you (and/or spouse)?

What is your estimated annual family income?

There are also two other questions, which you mark all that apply to you:

One, which asks if you and/or your family have received public assistance in the past 12 months?

And another that inquires on what job skills-recent or outdated, you possess.

By filling out and submitting this survey, you enable the college to receive needed funds for your career and technical classes and equipment.

To ensure confidentiality, this survey is on a secure website.  In order to access the survey form, you must be an active student.

Students are required to put their student number down on the survey. In January 2002, the VTEA Industrial and Technical Statewide Collaborative began to focus on identifying and supporting Best Practice Models in California Community College vocational and technical education programs.

Project outcomes have included faculty and staff workshops and trainings, student and industry surveys, posting of hundreds of vocational and technical education.

There are the Best Practice Models on the www.vteabp.org web site, collaboration with a wide variety of industry and academic partners, and analysis of potential job growth in Engineering and Related Industrial Technologies occupational areas.

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