Jeffrey Owen came to the Business of Art & Design program at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) because he wanted to learn how to design webpages.
He soon found that the program, with tracks in Digital Art & Design and Product Design & Development, of-fered him so much more. Two years later, Owen holds two certificates, has completed an in-ternship in the R&D Center for Advanced Manufacturing & Energy Efficiency, and has been hired at the new National Tire Research Center.
Owen entered the Business of Art & Design program as a Digital Art & Design (DA&D) student in 2009. He took courses in computer graphics, design, and multimedia, and went on to earn a Career Studies Certificate. Because students in the DA&D program work closely with students in the Product Design & Development (PD&D) program, Owen was exposed to the PD&D cur-riculum that teaches students how to develop a product from a concept to a beautifully de-signed, manufactured piece. After experiencing some initial success, and discovering a hidden talent for design, he decided to try the other side of the Business of Art & Design, “While I was in the DA&D program I realized that I could design and that I had a mind for it so I decided to try PD&D next,” Owen stated.
As he expected, the Product Design & Development program gave Owen the ability to create the products he was imagining. What he didn’t expect was the strong foundation in problem-solving and teamwork that he gained. “I would run into a problem and the program taught me not to give up but to work through it. I also learned how to work on teams and that teamwork equals success,” Owen stated.
The skills he gained in the Product Design & Development program not only helped him earn another certificate, but also led to him working as an intern in the SVHEC’s R&D Center for Ad-vanced Manufacturing & Energy Efficiency (R&D CAMEE). “Working in the R&D Center was a positive experience. I worked on a lot of great projects, and the experience really helped build up the skills I’d learned. My problem-solving abilities went through the roof when I became an intern,” Owen said.
As an intern, Owen got hands-on experience operating sophisticated advanced manufactur-ing equipment and was introduced to several computer-aided design (CAD) software programs. His experiences in the Business of Art & Design and R&D CAMEE prepared him for his current position as a shop technician at the National Tire Research Center. “At the National Tire Re-search Center I use the skills I gained in teamwork, problem solving, materials and sciences. I’m able to work with metal and rubber, and when a tire has unique movement I can understand it and what it’s doing. I’m also able to use my Digital Art & Design skills to make updates to our website,” Owen said.
“The NTRC was in full launch mode when Jeffrey came onboard. Jeffrey became a contributor to our success day one. He has a wide variety of skills that can be applied in many areas of our business. He takes on projects and take true ownership until completion. I believe that reflects well on the program we recruited him from,” said Frank Della Pia, Executive Director of the Na-tional Tire Research Center.
Owen’s is capable and confident, and has a bright future ahead. He attributes much of his success to his experiences at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center. “Going through the BA&D program and the internship at the R&D Center had a great impact on where I am to-day. From understanding problems and situations I might not have learned to giving me a mind of understanding that if there’s a problem you don’t have to freak out,” he said. “The BA&D program gave me a great deal because I could see myself doing graphic design and video, but I also found that I’m a hands on guy and I like to work with my hands. I’d recommend the pro-gram to someone who’s not sure of what they want to do in life or to anyone who wants to be hands-on.”
The Business of Art & Design program is offered in partnership with Danville Community College. Enrollment in Digital Art & Design and Product Design & Development is now open. Grants are available to assist with tuition, and qualified individuals may receive 100% tuition assistance. For more information visit www.svhec.org, email amycole@svhec.org, or call 434-572-5441 and toll free 1-800-283-0098 ext 5441.