Continuing Ed offers community programs

By Steve Koehler

Ozarks Technical Community College’s Continuing Education Center is adding a number of new community safety programs aimed at the educational and training needs of businesses, families and individuals. The new programs include:

• Child and Infant Car Seat Restraint/Safety and Compliance

• Bicycle Safety

• Safe Teen and Senior Drivers

The center is looking to concentrate on car seat safety and talking to high-school aged drivers about drunk drinking at all driver’s education programs in Greene and Christian counties.

Other safety programs that are continuing, include the motorcycle safety program, where interested individuals learn to ride a motorcycle under the supervision of state-trained instructors, and the CPR/Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training for the AED-Center of Excellence that assists area businesses to keep their AEDs functional and inspected as well as provide employee training.

“OTC is actively responding to the requests in our community to provide more safety programs. We also offer CPR training to healthcare providers, community members and youth. The motorcycle safety program has provided state approved training to nearly 200 new riders so far this season.” said Dana Thorp Patterson, director of Continuing Education.

A community safety specialist from Continuing Education will oversee the new and existing safety programs.

The motorcycle safety course, conducted in conjunction with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, trains riders and tests the participant’s skills to receive their certification as an approved motorcycle operator in the state of Missouri.

Seats are available in the motorcycle safety classes scheduled through November and the CPR/AED training is available upon request.

For more information about these programs, call the Continuing Education Center at (417) 447-8888.

 Steve Koehler is coordinator of publications at Ozarks Technical Community College.