Tag: Community Colleges
States Look to Community Colleges to Fill Labor Gap
Monique Acosta began the month of March as a pre-K classroom assistant in Arizona, with no credential beside her high school degree.
She ended it with a certification in a booming branch of electronics and started applying to entry-level jobs at Boeing.
For four hours a day, over 10 days total, Acosta studied the fine art of stripping, cutting and crimping wire as part of a technical “boot camp” at Mesa Community College outside Phoenix. The program, created in partnership with Boeing and taught by company engineers, aims to rapidly upskill students into jobs that local employers need to fill.
Now — amid a labor shortage that has baffled businesses and slowed the nation’s economic rehabilitation — policymakers, community college administrators and private businesses in several states are fueling new workforce-oriented initiatives, from tuition incentives and paid apprenticeships to boot camps such as the one Acosta completed. Read more.
Early Numbers Show Enrollment Increases for Community Colleges, Slight Decreases for Some Universities
For-credit enrollment at Alabama’s community colleges increased more than 6% systemwide this fall, according to preliminary numbers, while universities’ graduate enrollment ticked up about 3.2%. Read more.
Community Colleges Plan to Open Campuses in Fall; System Works to Improve Distance Learning
MONTGOMERY — Alabama Community College System leadership on Wednesday said campuses are planning to reopen in the fall, subject to guidance from Gov. Kay Ivey regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more.