For further information contact:

Andrew D. Welch
Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications
Ivy Tech Community College-Northeast 
(O) 260-481-2270
awelch17@ivytech.edu

Mark Ryan
Creative Services Manager
WFWA-DT PBS39
(O) 260-484-5663
markryan@wfwa.org

Ivy Tech Community College-Northeast and PBS39
debut television mini-series, Career Ladders, on May 1

WFWA-DT PBS39, Fort Wayne, in conjunction with Ivy Tech Community College-Northeast will premiere a series of programs, Career Ladders, beginning Friday, May 1 at 9 p.m. Each program in the Career Ladders series offers information about a different field of study that directly relates to job and career opportunities in northeast Indiana. The Career Ladders series is made possible by a grant from the Lincoln Financial Group Foundation. Each of these half-hour specials will then be followed by a half-hour roundtable panel discussion, A Closer Look: Career Ladders. These will feature an employer and experts from Ivy Tech discussing ways potential students and those seeking a new career path might be able to enter these fields of study and what to expect.

Each Career Ladders program to air this May on PBS39, in order, will be:

Friday, May 1, 2009 at 9 p.m.
Career Ladders: Culinary Arts
This episode of Career Ladders examines the opportunities available to students wishing to explore careers in the culinary arts. More than simple food preparation and cooking, the half-hour program takes a look at every facet of this career field, from the art of food preparation to the science and business skills involved in the Culinary Arts.

Friday, May 8, 2009 at 9 p.m.
Career Ladders: Respiratory Care
Career Ladders examines the growing medical specialty of Respiratory Care. In this half-hour special, you’ll learn why this field is currently in demand across the Midwest and what opportunities are available locally to obtain training and to begin a rewarding career in respiratory care.

Friday, May 15, 2009 at 9 p.m.
Career Ladders: Construction Technology
Today’s construction industry is more demanding than ever, asking that its workers be skilled in many facets of the field from estimating all the way through the actual building and finish processes. In this half-hour PBS39 special, you’ll learn about the different careers in construction technology you can train for — such as cabinetry, different types of carpentry, construction, electrical installer, HVAC technology, interior design, and landscaping.

Friday, May 22, 2009 at 9 p.m.
Career Ladders: Advanced Manufacturing
In this half-hour Career Ladders special, you’ll learn about the different types of high-tech manufacturing processes currently being used throughout our region. You’ll also find out what kinds of training opportunities are available to learn to use — and troubleshoot — these new methods such as CNC machining and multiple integrated manufacturing systems.

WFWA-DT PBS39 is northeast Indiana’s sole locally owned and operated public television station, celebrating its 36th year of service to Fort Wayne and the surrounding area. It broadcasts non-commercial, educational programming 24 hours daily on four standard-definition digital channels (39-1, PBS39’s traditional programming; 39-2, Kids39, a 24/7 children’s program channel, 39-3, createTV, a 24/7 channel featuring how-to programs; and 39-4, now 39-4you, a 24-hour news, information and documentary resource). WFWA was Fort Wayne’s first TV station to offer a digital broadcast to its viewers; the first to broadcast in high-definition (HDTV) and the first to offer a multi-channel, standard definition (SDTV) broadcast to its viewers. PBS39’s digital channels can also be seen on Comcast Digital Cable on channels 240, 241, 242 and 243 as well as on Verizon FiOS channels 470, 471, 472 and 473.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public post-secondary institution and the nation’s largest singly-accredited statewide community college system with more than 120,000 students enrolled annually. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.