Construction faculty Ken Myers is being recognized as Arizona’s Career and Technical Education Post-Secondary Educator of the Year. Courtesy photo.
FLAGSTAFF — Hammer. Saw. Drill. Tape Measure. Level.
His teaching tools are a bit different from a typical community college faculty member, but his skill at using those tools and his passion for sharing that knowledge helps students quickly enter the workforce and find meaningful careers.
As a result, Ken Myers, Construction Technology Management faculty at Coconino Community College, is being recognized as Arizona’s Career and Technical Education Post-Secondary Educator of the Year.
“Honestly, it’s kind of weird to be just doing my job,” Myers said of the award, laughing. “But, it’s really very awesome to help develop programs that help get people to work.”
The recognition comes from the Association for Career and Technical Education of Arizona. The organization’s goal is to bring CTE educators and professionals together throughout the state to help people build careers in the skilled trades.
According to a letter nominating Myers, “Ken is passionate about his field within CTE-Construction, and he’s passionate about working with students to help them achieve their goals. Ken consistently goes above and beyond to get in touch with students, to recruit students, and he makes himself 100 percent available during the school year.”
Myers, born and raised in Flagstaff, has been an instructor at CCC for the last decade, and before that he worked in the local construction industry.
“His knowledge of the field and his connections to the community are what he uses to engage his students,” stated the nomination letter. “He strives every day to provide the highest quality education through hands-on training and high-quality internship opportunities.”
Among a host of extra duties beyond his full teaching load, Myers has been instrumental in getting a Certified Apartment Maintenance Technician program at CCC off the ground and running. Additionally, he helped CCC receive a $1 million grant from the Del E. Webb Foundation to renovate the classrooms and shop where Construction Technology Management students learn.
Myers, humbly shrugging off his accomplishments, said, “Passing on a skill and a trade – that’s the cool thing about it. Watching people grasp and master something they never thought they would do – that’s the reward.”
His philosophy of teaching: Make it as real as possible.
“I want my students to come out the other side fully aware of the real-world environment,” Myers said. “Hands-on is critical. The students need it to understand the concepts.”
Although the COVID-19 outbreak has slowed the economy locally, statewide and nationally, there are still buildings going up in Coconino County. As long as that continues, there will be a need for a skilled workforce, Myers said.
“As long as I’m still here, we’re going to keep building a quality workforce for the building trades,” Myers added. “Quality matters.”
Myers was slated to be recognized during the 45th annual Arizona CTE Summer event, but it was cancelled in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
For more information about CCC’s Construction Technology Management program, visit https://www.coconino.edu/paths/construction-trades. CCC is currently registering students for summer and fall semesters at https://www.coconino.edu/registration