BRCC Central Courses: Did You Know?

By Mia Freneaux
    Sometimes really great things are right beneath our noses.  Such is the case with Baton Rouge Community College’s Central campus.  Located on Hooper Road, BRCC is offering 2 year associate’s degrees in Process Technology, Aviation Maintenance, and Aviation.  These degrees give the recipient immediate job opportunity potential upon graduation.  
    Process Technology covers the operation of industrial plants.  Process Technicians help to design, control, operate and troubleshoot units in plants that include the chemical, petroleum, mineral, and pharmaceutical industries.  BRCC has a state of the art Glycol Unit designed by the industry at its Central branch to provide students with a hands-on “real world” experience operating a unit.  In one 12 hour shift that mimics true plant operations, students can start up, maintain, troubleshoot, and shut down this unit. 
    In addition, training courses in the PTEC School are trained in Centrifugal Pump Operations, Liquid Ring Compressor Operations, Heat Exchanger Operations, Control Loop Instrumentation Operations, and Distillation Operations.  This qualifies them to immediately enter the job market as entry-level process operators in an extremely strong business field. Benjamin Stove is Department Chair of PTEC.  For additional information, contact him at 216-8451 or email him at [email protected].  
    Students who choose an Aviation Maintenance degree are prepared to take the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) maintenance examination upon graduation.  The training consists of FAA mandated classroom and lab preparation, including how to service, repair, and overhaul aircraft components and systems.  These systems include the airframe, piston engine, turbine engine, electrical system, hydraulic system, propellers, instrumental, and environmental systems.
    Aviation Maintenance Technicians (AMTs) are responsible for the inspection, service, repair and overhaul of aircraft components.  In addition to repair, AMT’s are responsible for conducting inspections and document all repairs and maintenance of the aircraft they oversee.  After graduation and completion of their FAA certification test, they are prepared to enter the job market as licensed AMT’s in an internationally high-demand field. BRCC has also just received an $800,000 grant to upgrade its Avionics program, which will be coming to Central in 2017.   
    Students who pass the mandatory FAA requirements for admission may also select a degree in Aviation, which covers flight training both at the facility’s flight simulator and hands-on experience at Baton Rouge Airport.  Students graduating from this program have received all the instructor ratings and required hours necessary to receive their commercial pilot’s license after passing the FAA qualification exam, at which point they are immediately employable as a flight instructor. Eric Kallio is Department Chair for Aviation.  For additional information, contact the Aviation Department at 216-8339 or email at [email protected].
    All of these programs permit students to begin taking their classes in their Junior year of High School. BRCC Central is located at 10700 Hooper Road.  For enrollment information, please contact the Office of Enrollment Services at 866-217-9823.