Employability: Short-Cycle Higher Education in the U.S. and the Labor Market

1. The Judith Herb College of Education China Symposium June 15, 2011 Ningbo, China Employability: Short-Cycle Higher Education in the U.S. and the Labor Market Snejana Slantcheva-Durst Asst. Prof. of Higher Education Department of Educational Foundations and Leadership University of Toledo Toledo, OH

2. The U.S. Community College • Short-cycle higher education in the U.S. finds itself mostly in institutions called community colleges

3. The Community College Network • Enrollment Capacity: 11.6 million students (46% of all undergrads) • 6.6 million students for-credit • 5 million students non-credit Well-developed network: 1,202 institutions • Open-access • A campus within driving range of 90% of the population • Largest deliverer of courses in rural America • Largest provider of customized training

4. The Central Role of the Community College Entrance Direct from high school Workforce training Certificates Associate of Arts/Sciences Associate of Applied Arts/Sciences Community colleges High school drop-outs 2-year Returning adults Bachelor of Applied Arts/Sciences 4-year Displaced workers Certificates Associate of Arts/Sciences Associate of Applied Arts/Sciences Bachelor Master and Doctor

5. Unprecedented Focus on Community Colleges in Result of • the severe economic crisis and the erosion of the manufacturing base; • the increasing need for a college degree in today’s knowledge-based societies. The critical role of the community colleges in America as institutions that “are instrumental in maintaining the country’s economic edge” (President Obama, 2010) – preparing the human capital of today and tomorrow

6. The Value of a Post-Secondary Credential • Occupations requiring a postsecondary degree will account for nearly half of all new jobs, and 1/3rd of all job openings between 2010 and 2018 (BLS, 2010)

7. A college degree = pathway to the middle class or better Postsecondary education gives larger accumulated earnings over time By 2018, the economy will create 46.8 million openings: 63% will require college education Formal education Workplace training + Workplace technology A. CARNEVALE et al. (June 2010) Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

9. In a nutshell… • The two-pronged role of the community college in: Helping build learning pathwaysinto and through postsecondary education (the process) Helping impart knowledge, skills and abilities for existingand future jobs/careers (the content) 1 2

10. 1 Learning Pathways into and through Higher Education Strengths Challenges Non-credit based training Workforce training Certificates Associate of Arts/Sciences Associate of Applied Arts/Sciences K-16 Trad. Students: Tech Prep, Dual Enrollment, Virtual School, Bridge Programs, CLEP, Gateway Community colleges 2-year institutions Bachelor of Applied Arts/Sciences Certificates Associate of Arts/Sciences Associate of Applied Arts/Sciences Bachelor 4-year institutions Remedial Education: 60% of entering freshmen in community colleges 29% in public 4-year Adult Learners: GED, ABLE, Career Pathways, Stackable Certificates, College Prep 41% attrition rates from 1st to 2nd year 34% persistence-to-degree (ACT, 2007) Returning Workforce

11. Learning Pathways into and through Higher Education 1 Loss of direction Non-credit training still rarely linked to for-credit training Strengths Challenges Students starting at cc – less likely to attain a BA community college college/university community college Some transfers for AAS/AAA (BAS degrees) Transfers for AA/AS Articulation agreements University systems Swirling Reverse transfers college/university Occupational transfers on program basis

12. 2 – For Credit Knowledge, Skills and Abilities for Existing and New Jobs Strengths • In the regional economy and society – credit programs (occupational education) Close involvement of business and community in program development, review and support in addition to regional and professional accreditation Emphasis on work-based learning that supports learning skills in the context in which they will be used (Bailey, et al., 2004). - Internships and co-ops - Tech-prep - Apprenticeships

13. 2 – For Credit Internships: A structured, supervised professional experience that carries academic credit (ex: clinical education) Tech Prep: integrate academic and CTE courses in high school, and continuing at a community or technical college A network – of 23 consortia with thousands of partners, supporting more than 750 student programs in high schools and colleges throughout Ohio. Apprenticeships: employer-sponsored programs that combine on-the-job training with coursework • Registered apprenticeships since 1007 in industry areas of critical interest to South Carolina: • Number of apprentices increased more than 2 times in the last 3 years. • Number of apprenticeship programs increased almost 2 times.

14. 2 – For Credit Strengths • Creating new associate programs that cater to emerging careers Green partnerships between industry and community colleges – programs in environmental management, green labs The Milwaukee Area Technical College and Johnson Controls 2,500-panel solar educational laboratory where students can learn to become photovoltaic installers and designers.

15. 2 – For Credit Strengths Challenges • Emphasis on STEM-related programs 14% of all undergraduates enrolled in a STEM field: - 5% - computer/information sciences - 4% - engineering/engineering technologies - 3% - biological/agricultural sciences - less than 1% - physical sciences and math Of them: - 18.3% - working towards a certificate - 43.5% - towards an associate degree - 38.2% - towards a bachelor’s degree (National Postsecondary Student Aid Study 2004) 6 years later: 37% completed a degree/certificate 55% left

16. 2 – Not For Credit Knowledge, Skills and Abilities for Existing and New Jobs Strengths • In the regional economy and society – non-credit programs (workforce training) Contract or customized training (workforce training) for: -new workforce entrants (both recent high school grads and drop-outs) -temporarily dislocated workers -current employed workers -long-term unemployed workers (Katsinas, 2009)

17. 2 – Not For Credit Strengths Workforce training programs increasingly: - Recognize a need in the community - Focus on high-demand, high-tech disciplines - Are based on strong partnerships - Have flexible course offerings - Are based on a technology center which integrates the vocational curricula with the needs of the private sector - Provide academic scholarships directly from local businesses to students - Are tied to career pathways

18. Center for Manufacturing Excellence (CME) –a collaborative venture betweenCarl Sandburg College in Illinoisand Maytag-Galesburg Refrigeration. The CME houses: state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment customized training facilities state-of-the-art industrial diagnostic equipment Sandberg CC’s manufacturing certificate /degree programsCME was established in 1998 to address the Illinois region's anticipated labor shortage and Maytag's need for employees with advanced technology skills.

19. NSCC, Archbold, OhioCustom Training Solutions • Currently deliver training in 32 states within the US, Canada, Mexico and approximately 20 other countries. • Last year CTS trained over 5000 employees at 175 companies within the US and beyond. • CTS pushes a private sector look and brand, in order to compete with private training firms.

20. 2 – Not For Credit Knowledge, Skills and Abilities for Existing and New Jobs Challenges In the regional economy and society: - inherent tensions between occupationally-based training and academic coursework in applied credit-bearing programs More students are looking for “upward mobility, not just skills” (Zinser, 2006) - workforce training program designs that are specifically job-oriented – less on skills for retraining In the global economy and society: - teaching global awareness across-the-curriculum

21. The Judith Herb College of Education Thank you! Snejana Slantcheva-Durst, Asst. Prof. Judith Herb College of Education University of Toledo Toledo, Ohio, 43606, USA snejana.slantchevadurst@utoledo.edu