Seaside Musings: MiraCosta shows off its Technology Center Institute
‘Community Showcase’ highlights Carlsbad center’s offerings, including cooking, beer brewing and welding
BY LOLA SHERMAN
OCT. 22, 2023 5 AM PT
MiraCosta College put its Technology Career Institute on display earlier this month when it offered a “Community Showcase” for the center in Carlsbad.
The institute blends in well with its business-park surroundings, serving educational purposes by offering dozens of classes to a total of approximately 430 students. These students are not engaged in academic courses but are instead learning job skills. They don’t spend years but rather months in this school. All courses wrap up in one semester or less, according to Linda Kurokawa, the executive director of community education and workforce development at MiraCosta.
During the event, visitors had the opportunity to take part in several activities. In one kitchen filled with shiny pots and pans, instructor Eliza Daly Martin provided ingredients to visitors and showed them how to make spring rolls. In another room, guests could taste beer brewed by students. Signs on the wall indicated that students have been successful in securing jobs in local breweries after completing the 280-hour course for brew technicians, the only one in California recognized by the Master Brewers Association of the Americas.
The event also showcased various types of machinery for machining, welding equipment, electronic assembly, and even computer classrooms. Artistic endeavors like painting and mosaics were also on display, showing the institute’s versatility in offering courses that can lead to various types of employment.
A drone pilot and technician course was demonstrated in the parking lot of the building. The institute’s "student union" was another indicator that this was, indeed, a college environment.
For the showcase event, an array of food items such as spring rolls, macaroni and cheese, along with various appetizers and desserts were offered to visitors. A four-piece jazz band and guitar students from the school also provided entertainment.
According to Kurokawa, the event attracted approximately 240 people, including members of the Carlsbad City Council and a trustee from the MiraCosta College district. Kurokawa was also pleased to receive a citation for the school from Rep. Mike Levin.
The Technology Career Institute is a partnership between MiraCosta College and the city of Carlsbad, operating in a building owned by the city in a business park off Palomar Airport Road.
