“Never in my life would I have expected community colleges to be called potential saviors of the economy,” says George Boggs, president of the American Association of Community Colleges. “When the downturn started and people were being laid off, community colleges sent teams into companies to talk to workers about their options,” he explains. The importance of community colleges progressed from there.
As the recession drags on and more people turn to higher ed as a way to weather the storm, community colleges are increasingly in demand. “I think we are going to drive this economy back to where it needs to be,” says Mary Spangler, president of Houston Community College. Applications are up across all sectors of higher ed ranging from graduate school down, but community colleges are getting a double dose from unemployed adults looking for new skills as well as traditional age students looking to save money. According to AACC data, over the past two years, part-time enrollment at community colleges has increased 17 percent, while full-time enrollment increased 24 percent. “To have double-digit growth across the country in two years is incredible,” Boggs notes.
“When you look at factors like workforce training, low cost, and quicker return on investment, those are major factors in driving demand,” says Roderick Nunn, vice chancellor for Workforce and Community Development at St. Louis Community College (Mo.). “The current demand is recognition of what we do well.” In this economy, higher education’s workhorse institutions are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
Programs for Progress
Given the resources available to community colleges, “I think they are rising to the challenge quite well,” says Beverly Bower, director of the Bill Priest Center for Community College Education at the University of North Texas, which offers career training for community college leaders. “They [community colleges] have a strong history of being flexible and accessible and being in touch with the needs of their local communities.”
Community colleges keep a finger on the local pulse through the use of advisory boards composed of area businesspeople who help shape programs, explains Spangler. If the programs at a community college aren’t strong, maybe the advisory board isn’t either, she suggests.
It helps to have a major employer in the area. Nunn’s SLCC developed a program with Boeing to train entry-level sheet metal workers. “We’ve had 125 individuals complete the training,” he says. “Boeing interviewed 112 and hired 98.”
Utilizing workforce intelligence, SLCC leaders seek out area employers with labor shortages, then pair instructional designers with the company to develop “pre-employment training” programs for students the company commits to interviewing. “We deliver on what employers need,” he says.
Responding is trickier when no major employers are in the area. Lane County in Oregon saw an unemployment rate of 15 percent, says Mary Spilde, president of Lane Community College. A semiconductor plant closed and the county is “the center of the recreational vehicle industry,” she says. “Frankly, there aren’t new employers coming to town beyond micro-employers.”
Spilde says Lane has added a cohort of nursing students and medical office assistants, and the institution is beefing up its energy auditing programs. Preparing residents for future jobs when the economy does recover is also a focus through general and developmental education classes. “We’re telling them to train for a job, but also build critical thinking skills which will make them more employable,” she explains.
“Many students are piecing together a life on financial aid,” Spindle continues. Although some of the financial aid moneys are paid to the college through fees, books, and other education expenses, part of the money is also used to pay for rent and food. “That’s another economic impact that is overlooked,” she points out.
Leaders at Manor College (Pa.), a private two-year institution, are also aware of the benefit financial aid can bring to the local economy. Nine programs addressing workforce shortages have been approved for the state’s Commonwealth Workforce Development System, which provides stipends for full-time students. The program does not extend unemployment benefits, but it does alleviate the need for participants to seek immediate employment, explains Gus Distefano, director of admissions. “I do attendance sheets every Monday for CWDS participants.”
'The last thing you want to be doing is turning students away during a recession when they need the retraining.' -George Boggs, American Association of Community Colleges
