Bismarck State College now has all five of its nationally recognized energy programs available to community college students through the League for Innovation in the Community College, an international consortium serving two-year colleges.

The Phoenix-based league recently approved BSC's Nuclear Power Technology program for its Project SAIL (Specialty Asynchronous Industry Learning), an exchange network of colleges and businesses working to promote industry-driven programs and to fill immediate workforce needs.

Project SAIL was created in 2003 to build a national clearinghouse for colleges to license, lease, or purchase specialized distance learning curriculum and programs to provide fundamental training in a trade or profession anywhere and anytime. BSC was among the selected pilot colleges for Project SAIL and first offered Electric Power Technology from its new Energy Technology Online Department. BSC has subsequently added Process Plant Technology, Power Plant Technology, Electrical Transmission Systems Technology, and now Nuclear Power Technology.

Another recent addition to Project SAIL is Basic X-Ray Techniques for Limited Diagnostic Operator Training for medical workers. The state-mandated, non-credit program was developed by BSC Corporate and Continuing Education in March 2005 for medical workers without radiology technologist certification.

Regardless of the specialty, Project SAIL has taken advantage of the growth and availability of online learning to link employed workers and non-industry students with training not offered by their community college. The collaborations enable students to earn credits and graduate from their local institution.

In August 2006, BSC entered into a partnership with Turtle Mountain Community College in Belcourt, N.D., to provide 15 students with training that will lead to a degree in Process Plant Technology.

"The students want to support their local college," said Alicia Berger, training manager for BSC Energy Technology Online. "Turtle Mountain Community College, in turn, has the opportunity to employ coordinators and tutors for their students and to raise their visibility in the community by marketing the distant learning program."