Fort Myers Technical College
Fall 2023
FMTC Newsletter - The Soaring Scene (10/1/23)
The mission of Fort Myers Technical College is to provide high quality career and technical training in order to prepare students for current and emerging industries, delivered by a professional and caring staff in a positive learning environment.
Real training. Real people. Real work.
Director's Message - John Roszell
Since 1967, FMTC has continued to grow and evolve, while focusing on improving students’ lives and positively impacting the workforce needs here in Southwest Florida.
This past year presented a unique challenge with the unwelcomed arrival of Hurricane Ian to our community. Our campus sustained significant damage in a variety of classroom and laboratory spaces. After a few weeks of clean up and reorganization of classrooms, FMTC was able to reopen campus and welcome students back. We are now at the 1 year anniversary of the storm. For the Southwest Florida community, recovery continues, as we continue to support our local workforce in these efforts.
Our expansion and construction project is more than halfway done and our new classrooms and lab facilities have already had positive impacts on our students.
As we start to get further into the Fall semester, we look forward to construction completion, open enrollment for our Spring semester, and the addition of some new programs that are on the horizon (CNC Production Specialist & Diesel Maintenance Technician).
John Roszell - FMTC Director
A Message From Student Services
On behalf of the Student Services Department, we thank you for the start of an incredible year here at FMTC!
The Administrative Building on campus (Building C - at the main entrance) houses all kinds of helpful people; Financial Aid, Student Accounts, Admissions and the Administrative staff are ready and able to assist you with any problems that may arise. Below you’ll find a short list of email addresses that may come in handy:
Financial Aid: FMTCFinancialAid@leeschools.net
Admissions: FMTCAdmissions@leeschools.net
Student Accounts: AnaGLe@leeschools.net
Career Services: fmtcjobs@leeschools.net
If you’re not sure who to contact to assist you, please feel free to email Admissions, and we will do our very best to help you or direct you to someone who can!
Each of us in Student Services is vested in your success - please don’t hesitate to ask for assistance if you need it!
FMTC Admissions
One of our favorite and most informative ways to interact with potential students is to have them visit as a group from their high school. Students are taken on a tour of our campus and get to see our programs in action. It’s the very best way we’ve found to introduce our amazing school and to find out if we’re a good match for our visitors’ post-secondary plans. We also try to inform current students of who is on the list to visit – because chances are, they’ll recognize someone from their Alma Mater! We end our tours with a delicious lunch, prepared by our Professional Culinary Arts & Hospitality students. An awesome tour and the BEST fries in Lee County means a great day had by all!!!
Has your HS come for a visit to our campus?
If not, ask a teacher or guidance counselor to help set up the visit.
And you can always come on your own - Info Sessions happen most Tuesday mornings at 9:30am
Career Services at FMTC
The Career Center at FMTC has a new Career Specialist. Jarrod Demming joins us after 12 years in the K-12 system at the School District of Lee County, most recently he was a Vocational Technology teacher and part of the Jobs for Florida Graduates program at South Fort Myers High School. He is a native of Lee County and a proud product of Lee County Schools.
Students can request personalized services by filling out the FMTC Student Appointment Request Form. He is also available to present to individual classes upon teacher request. Our Career Services topics include: Career Fair Strategies, Dress for Success, Financial Wellness, Interviewing, Job & Internship Search Strategies, Negotiating Job Offers, Personal Branding, Professional Communication, Resume Critiquing, Resume Writing/Cover Letters, Social Media and the Job Search (Including Building a LinkedIn Profile), and Writing a Personal Statement.
Employers and Community Partners can email FMTCJobs@leeschools.net to request services; or for free Job Postings and access to our current and former students, sign up for a free College Central Account!
Jarrod Demming - Career Specialist
Alumni Spotlight
Sebastian Munoz
Class of 2023
Accepted into the National Technical Honor Society
Loves his job at Olive Garden
Staff Spotlight
Troy Ruth - Security Specialist & Community Involvement
Troy has been a Security Specialist at FMTC for over 13 years. He has spent the past decade helping to keep our students and staff safe on campus. He is actively involved in youth sports within the community and can be found on the football field in addition to dance / cheer competitions.
The faculty, staff, and students of FMTC are truly appreciative for his dedication to our school and his community!
Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning/Refrigeration Technicians (HVAC/R)
The advanced cohort in HVAC/R has an incredibly high employment rate! Every student that had a desire to go out on Co-Op was able to get a quality placement and, ultimately, were hired by their company after completion. Reports from those new HVAC/R professionals show that they are acquiring considerably valuable experiences. They feel confident in the work they are performing and are glad that they invested in themselves and their community by completing the HVAC/R Program at Fort Myers Technical College.
CONGRATULATIONS to our new HVAC/R cohort that currently has eight future professionals holding a PERFECT 4.0 GPA and five holding at 3.0! Their incredible hard work is truly paying off and they have a bright and exciting career future in the HVAC/R trades!
Congratulations to our current Interplay Skill Mill Champion with 1,350 points: Kawan Meria Rocha! Let's see if they keep the lead - check back in for our WInter Newsletter!
Enrique (Rick) Castro - HVAC/R Instructor
In HVAC/R you learn
how to connect electrical systems
You use specially designed
training equipment
You get experience with
a variety of makes, models, and years
One of own was featured in Boating Industry's 2023 Women Making Waves issue! Annette Nelson is a current student in Marine Services Technology. Some quotes below; read the full article HERE.
"If you love the boating environment, the people and the atmosphere, definitely look into this industry as a choice for a future career."
"Mr. Esterline was excited that I was there! It made me feel like I belonged."
"Nelson is currently enrolled in the Marine Service Technologies Program...earning her ABYC Marine Systems Certification along with certifications from Yamaha and Mercury."
Mike Esterline - Marine Service Instructor
“The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.”
Vincent Van Gogh
In Web Application Development & Programming, we have been busy learning and earning all kinds of certifications to prepare for our new careers.
The Information Technology programs students from the class of 2023 worked very hard to earn four different IT industry certifications. These included HTML & CSS Coding Specialist, JavaScript Coding Specialist, WordPress Certified Editor, and Python Coding Specialist.
Every student in both the Web Application Development & Programming and .NET Application Development & Programming classes passed all 4 of the certifications offered in the courses. This is the first time all students have passed every Web and .NET industry certification given in each of the Web and .NET classes.
Bill Sandifer - Instructor
New State-of-the-Art Welding Lab
44 Brand New Bays
with BRAND NEW Lincoln Electric equipment!
Plenty of space
for groups to collaborate!
MORE New Bays
out of a total of 44!
What is HIRE?
The HIRE Program (How I Reach Employment) connects students to technical college life, industry credentials, and employment opportunities. The HIRE Program connects students to their future!
Contact:
FMTC Website https://fortmyerstech.edu/
NOTIFICATION TO PARENTS REGARDING OUT-OF-FIELD TEACHERS
Florida State Board Rule 6A-1.0503(3) recognizes that teachers at times must be assigned duties in a class outside the field in which the teacher is certified. FMTC is reporting that the following teachers are teaching out-of-field in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) during the 202-2024 school year as of October 1, 2023:
Enrique Castro, Layton Childress, Jarrod Demming, Jeff Slack, Ryan White, Zach Wilson
NOTIFICATION OF THE PRESENCE OF ASBESTOS-CONTAINING MATERIALS IN THE SCHOOL
This school has been recently inspected and certain asbestos-containing materials or assumed asbestos-containing materials such as: fire doors or roofing materials that are tested prior to repairs or removal as needed, have been located in the school buildings. Please be aware that the School District of Lee County has an active management plan designed to ensure that the building is maintained safely for all occupants. These materials are being controlled in accordance with the Asbestos Management Program for the School and following the limitations and procedures of the policies and requirements of the Asbestos Operations and Maintenance Program of the School District of Lee County.
The report listing the location, quantities, and condition of all known materials and contains the details of the control procedures is available at the school office for your inspection during normal school hours. Copies of the whole or parts of the school’s asbestos file can be supplied to you at a cost of $0.15/page.