At NTI, our top priority has always been the delivery of high quality, hands on training and career development services. However, the health and well-being of our students, faculty and staff is a top priority and since mid March those two priorities have begun to collide, creating difficult working and learning environments for all of us. Out of an abundance of caution, we have been monitoring news and updates regarding the COVID-19 virus and following prescribed precautions while finding creative solutions to weather the storm. During this time, I wanted to reach out and update you on how we are approaching the situation.
We remain committed to delivering on our mission despite the environmental obstacles. At this time, our students have transitioned to distance learning so that the practice of social distancing may be followed and in hopes that we are doing our part to minimize the spread of the virus. To the same end, we have also made arrangements to allow faculty and staff to work remotely. While we’ve been fortunate to be able to adapt for those accommodations, we realize that we’ve got a way to go before we can call this outbreak a thing of the past. We are thankful for the patience of our students, faculty and staff as we adapt to these changes.
As a school, we remain here to serve the needs of our students via online and distance education – for the time being – as well as the in person, hands on training NTI is famous for, coming soon. While it may take us some extra time to respond to those needs, we are no less devoted to meeting them. As an employer, we are endeavoring to do our best to keep our faculty and staff out of harm’s way while still being available to show up for the students and for each other. We’ll continue to instruct staff and students to adhere to all CDC guidelines including limiting physical contact, washing hands and staying home to help flatten the curve and do our part to support a speedy recovery from this pandemic.
Update for current and future students:
- Thanks to the Department of Education and our accrediting body, The Council on Occupational Education, temporary permission has been given to alter our style of delivery in most programs. We are currently able to allow distance education in most programs and that has helped us keep students, faculty and staff safer during this time. Students are encouraged to stay in touch with their instructor and reach out to your area campus with any technical difficulties or questions. For those programs where in-person, hands-on training is irreplaceable, we are scheduling this portion of the curriculum to be conducted once the federal and state mandates for returning to “normal” allow, while following the best practices for health safety.
- For students currently enrolled who have not started, we have postponed most class starts to a time that we hope to be outside the ‘danger zone’ with respect to the COVID-19 virus and social distancing protocols. Please check back often regarding the upcoming program start dates.
Each day as ramifications of this outbreak unfold, we will continue to make changes that we think are in the best interest of the students, faculty and staff and we will be sure to keep you updated as best we can.
Sincerely,
Jim Liponis
President
