‘THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM Thursday, May2,2019 B9 Q&A WITH KIRSTEN LINDSAY Francis Tuttle program trains public works employees What is the Center for Municipal Excellence? The Center for Municipal Excellence (CME)is aprogram of Francis Tuttle Technology Center that provides compre- hensive, standardized training to public works employees. Through the CME, Francis Tuttle partners with fellow CareerTech institutions to bring various instructional curriculum to cities and towns across the state. Our programs efficiently train public works employees to safely and effectively perform their duties. What types of training does the ‘Center for Municipal Excellence provide? Our trainings focus on sys- tematic work practices and tefining skill sets relevant to municipal operations. Our programs are designed to meet the specific training needs of municipal work- ers by offering competency-based training to public works employees. The CME offers technician- level, hands-on training in the areas of streets, heavy equipment, water, wastewa- ter and groundsmanagement. Our specialized curriculum is developed from subject -mat- ter experts, industry-specific trade dataand product manu- facturer’s materials. Francis Tuttle’s CME is the first train- ing facility in the nation to comprehensively train a pro- fessional, qualified labor force for the municipal employer. How are the classes conducted? We offer general edu- cational classes, as well as project-specific training. Courses can includeclassroom instruction incorporating theory and written assess- ments as well as hands-on, site-specific learning with custom-designed curriculum to prepare employees for an upcoming project. We empha- size hands-on learning in our trainings. Our Edmond facil- ity is equipped witha training area where students can lit- erally put their training to the test by completing the types of projects the are likely to face on the job, like installing water lines, repairing a hydrant or pouring concrete. Does the Center for Municipal Excellence provide any type of administrative training? Our state’s new medical marijuana laws have created many questions among public and private employers. These questions led to the development of a workshop specifically designed to assist municipal employers in craft- ing policies and procedures that comply with our state’s new statutes. The training, a combination of classroom instruction and scenario- based role playing, can help local leadership understand the practical applications of the new laws regarding issues like drug testing and reason- able suspicion. Paula Burkes, Business writer