FESTIVAL SEEKS PLAYWRIGHTS.

Byline: Daily News

VALENCIA -- The fifth annual College of the Canyons New Works Festival is looking for playwrights to submit short plays, long plays, scenes and monologues that will be considered for performances at the March fest.

For the first time, entries will be welcomed from nonstudents.

The festival is a collaboration between the college's English and Theater departments to motivate aspiring writers to see their works staged.

``I was teaching a creative writing class and students were writing great short plays,'' English professor Kim Gurnee said. ``But they were never able to see their work come alive onstage, which is a very important part of creating dramatic work.''

The festival is directed by David Stears, who has created more than 65 works.

The deadline for submissions is noon Nov. 21.

For information, call Gurnee at [phone].

The college has designed two new programs in construction management and land surveying in response to the development demands in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The city of Santa Clarita was the fastest growing city of 150,000 or more in Los Angeles County and exceeded the state's growth rate of 1.7 percent in 2003, according to santa-clarita.com.

The college has developed a construction management certificate of achievement and associate's degree program, as well as a land surveying certificate of achievement and associate's degree.

The only other land surveying program in Southern California is at Santiago Canyon College in Santa Ana, said Audrey Green, dean of program development and community extension.

``Both COC programs were developed at the request of the local industry and with their assistance,'' she said. ``Large construction companies need trained and educated managers for both residential and commercial projects. Land surveying and engineering companies are turning away work due to the shortage of trained employees.''

The first classes in Land Surveying were offered during the fall semester and saw robust enrollment. Land Surveying classes slated for the spring semester include Surveying 101: Introduction To Land Surveying, and Surveying 102: Advanced Land Surveying.

Construction Management Technology courses planned for the spring semester include Construction 101: Introduction to Construction and Construction Engineering; Construction 103: Blueprint Reading for Construction; Construction 104: The Construction Process-Planning and Scheduling; and Construction 108: Introduction to Construction Inspection and Codes.

``We are hoping to interest graduating high school students who have an affinity for being outdoors and who like math,'' Green said. ``Surveying in particular, requires knowledge of geometry and trigonometry.''

Registration for the spring semester begins Nov. 13. For information regarding these classes visit the college's Web site at www.canyons.edu.