AVTEC director asks subcommittee for $888,600 in one-time funds to double industrial electricity seats

Dr. Corey Ortiz, director of the Alaska Vocational Technical Center (AVTEC), told the Department of Labor and Workforce Development Finance Subcommittee on March 10 that AVTEC needs $888,600 in supplemental FY25 funding to buy and ship industrial electricity lab equipment to expand its industrial electricity program from 15 to 30 seats and that a $182,300 FY26 increment would cover the salary and overhead of an additional full‑time instructor.

Ortiz, who introduced himself at the committee meeting, said AVTEC is the department’s 24/7 training facility in Seward and has been accredited by the Council on Occupational Education for 25 years. He described steady demand for the industrial electricity program: AVTEC received 40 applications for the fall 2025 enrollment window, sent conditional acceptance letters to the first 25 qualified applicants, and within about two and a half hours 15 students had paid half their tuition to secure spots.

AVTEC currently trains 15 students per cohort in industrial electricity. Ortiz said the requested $888,600 is a one‑time expense to purchase and ship the additional heavy, industrial‑grade equipment and supplies needed to serve 30 students; because of lead times and shipping logistics to Seward, an adjunct would need to be hired in FY25 to oversee ordering, installation and curriculum setup. The $182,300 FY26 increment is intended to fund a second full‑time instructor once the expansion is completed.

Ortiz described AVTEC’s funding mix as student tuition and fees, unrestricted general funds, and designated general funds from the technical vocational education program (DBAB). He told the committee the one‑time equipment costs would not likely be recouped through tuition and fees, while the ongoing instructor cost could be partially offset by tuition revenue. When asked, Ortiz said he would follow up with a specific dollar estimate for how much of the instructor cost could be covered by tuition and fees.

In his presentation Ortiz highlighted AVTEC’s physical footprint (about 20 buildings in Seward), approximately 43,000 square feet of training space including a 16,000‑square‑foot diesel heavy‑duty lab and about 6,300 square feet for industrial electricity. He summarized AVTEC’s program models (long‑term 90–180 day, short‑term under 90 days, and contract training), apprenticeship-related technical instruction (RTI) for plumbing and electrical apprenticeships, and custom contract training with employers such as Trident Seafoods and the Alaska Energy Authority.

Ortiz also shared student success examples and outcome metrics: AVTEC reported a completion rate above 94% in FY24 and 91% of completers in FY23 were employed in the field in which they trained. He invited committee members to tour AVTEC’s facilities in Seward.

The subcommittee did not take a formal vote on the supplemental request during the session; Ortiz’s appearance was informational and the committee adjourned after the presentations.