Looking forward to 2020

A new decade and a new Alaska Safety Alliance

December 31st 2019
By: Cari-Ann Carty

You may have heard that APICC is now the Alaska Safety Alliance.  Long-term supporters and members of our organization are likely wondering what will be changing and, maybe more importantly, what will remain the same.  As we welcome a new decade, it is the perfect time to reaffirm our roots in Alaska’s education and training landscape, as well as share the organization’s plans for a sustainable future. 

Where We’ve Been

In 1999, we were formed as the Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium (APICC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. The focus of the new organization was to promote education in process technology, establish standards and curricula for process-technology education, and generally promote educational and career pathways that lead to employment in the process industry. 

Over time, APICC expanded its scope and focus beyond process technology to include health, safety and environmental training for workers. In 2003, we began managing the North Slope Training Cooperative (NSTC) on behalf of the North Slope’s owner/operator companies. 

Member-Driven Planning

In our 2016 strategic plan, the board of directors identified specific goals for growing the organization. They asked, “how do we better serve our members and Alaska industries?”, “what would add value and increase engagement?” The answer – a central organization that could manage health and safety training, maintain training and credential records, and provide support services to operators and contractors across multiple industry sectors in Alaska. 

The strategic plan, renewed in 2018, preserves and reinforces the underlying values of our organization – Alignment, Collaboration, Convening, Safety, Education, Awareness and Sustainability. In addition, the plan is intended to answer specific requests from members and, at the same time, adds to the organization’s overall stability and sustainability.

Legacy Programs

The Board’s plan does call for adding new programs and training. It also reinforces the importance of and need for our legacy programs like Process Technology training and the North Slope Training Cooperative (NSTC). Both PTEC and NSTC serve the needs of Alaska industry. ASA will continue to support the University of Alaska Process Technology Degree Program – and other priority occupations identified by the Oil & Gas, Mining, Construction, and Maritime sectors – through career awareness and outreach activities. ASA will also maintain management of the NSTC on behalf of Alaska’s Operators.

Adding Value

Our team of Directors and staff have spent the past few years laying the foundation and creating infrastructure to support the larger long-term goals laid out in the strategic plan.   We have made progress toward building the Alaska Safety Alliance as the central organization for worker training and mobilization. To date, our significant milestones include:

  • Completed in-depth research of best practices used by other regional safety councils and identified challenges specific to Alaska.
  • Joined the Association of Reciprocal Safety Councils (ARSC)
  • Developed and launched our Alaska Safety Alliance online platform, a platform for workers and their employers to enroll in training, complete online courses, and track completed certifications
  • Created and delivered multiple company-specific training courses, online and instructor-led
  • Approved as an Accredited Training Sponsor for the National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER)
  • Identified and purchased a digital badging system (ASA training badge coming online in 2020!) 
  • Officially completed corporate name change and rebranding
  • Built and launched an all-new website, integrated with the ASA online training platform, improving the user experience and providing easier access to member services

On the Horizon

2020 promises to be another exciting year as the Alaska Safety Alliance continues to evolve and introduce new benefits for our members. In 2020, we’ll institute improvements to current programs like the NSTC, and introduce additional programs to better support workforce development and mobilization for our industries.  Look for:

  • NSTC eCard – In January, the Alaska Safety Alliance will start issuing NSTC eCards to new trainees completing the NSTC 8-hour Unescorted Course
  • New Membership Levels – Also in January, a new membership structure will take effect with added member benefits
  • ARSC Courses – ASA members will get access to the ARSC library of courses developed by ARSC member safety councils across the United States. Created by industry subject matter experts, courses cover a broad range of topics from basic safety awareness to professional development and leadership skills
  • Basic Orientation Plus – for companies that need reciprocal training across regions, ASA will introduce Basic Orientation Plus and Basic Orientation Plus Refresher to Alaska.