Milwaukee Area Technical College: New Strategies for Cultivating Workers in a Global Environment

1. Milwaukee Area Technical College: New Strategies for Cultivating Workers in a Global Environment David B. Turner Dean Milwaukee Area Technical College

2. Overview • Vocational education evolved from guilds to a publicly- supported higher educational system with the capacity to offer solutions to social concerns • Community/technical college fill a unique role that four year colleges and universities cannot fill-offering a pipeline for a timely, well qualified workforce • Technology caused global issues • Boarders not a safe haven • Competition from small countries • Changing demographics • Skilled worker shortages • Graduation gap • Changing demographics • Global competition

3. Overview Cont… • Community college strengths are rooted in the population it serves with their differing goals • Milwaukee Area Technical College has demonstrated innovation in cultivating a workforce for the global economy by: Working with businesses for Program review Developing tailor-made programs

4. Overview Cont… • Providing students with opportunities to test their interest • Reaching out to non-traditional students • Making education and training available at multiple sites • Flexible course offerings • User-friendly: focus on learning styles

5. Historical Origins • Apprenticeships Guilds – Adv/ Disadv. Industrial Revolution- more workers • Public Education- • Early High Schools • 6.3% attended: in 2000, 70% attended • College Attendance • 2% attended; in 2000, 58% attended

6. Historical Origins Cont… • Junior Colleges • Joliet Junior College (1901) Academic preparation for four-year colleges • Continuation Schools • Individuals working • Unemployed • Apprentices • Interested students

7. Historical Origins Cont… • Community Colleges • Advent: Truman Commission • Reasons for success • Low tuition • Locations • Flexibility of schedules • Employment opportunities requiring “less than Bachelor degree”

8. Role of Modern Community/ Technical College • Role in Society • Occupational education • Remedial education • A-vocational education • Transfer courses • Workforce training

9. Characteristics • 1202 two-year colleges in U.S. • 5.5 million students • 40% full-time, 60% part-time • 59% women, 41% men • 34% minorities- Hispanics, African-American, Asians • 39% First-generation students • 17% single parents

10. Statistics Cont… • Average tuition • $2,272 Four Year- $5,386 • Degrees confirmed • 550,000 AAS • 270,000 Diplomas • Funding Sources • 38% State funds • 20% Tuition and fees

11. Statistics Cont… • 19% Local funds • 7% Federal funds • 16% Other funds( food service, bookstore) • Increased demand for AAS degree In 2004-2014 • 46% of job growth in U.S. in AAS careers (professional, managerial, and high sales positions)

12. Challenges facing Community/Technical Colleges • Open Admission Policies • Student may not benefit from college • Retention and Attrition Rates (according to Bailey,2007) • Less than 25% attain a degree • After eight years • Less than 17% completed fewer than ten credits • Less than 40% earned a degree

13. Reasons for Attending College • Job skill acquisition • Transfer to university • Career/occupational preparation • Learn new information • Degree attainment

14. Reasons for High Attrition • Fewer high school opportunities • Have met career objective • Lack of data related to why students attend college Challenge: Need to assess why students attend college

15. Retention Issue • Why students fail to complete program • Some students drop out because • They received what they needed • Financial reasons • Job out • Academic • Did not have career preparation/ exploratory skills – Therefore, do not know what they want!

16. High School Graduation Concerns • U.S. eclipsed by Norway, Russia, Czech Republic • Japan and Canada will overtake U.S. • Higher graduation rate • Out of 100 students entering high schools • U.S. – 18% graduate • Canada- 25% graduate

17. Reason for Higher Education Correlation with • Higher income • Greater career opportunities • Less unemployment swings • Increased participation in civic affairs • Greater volunteerism

18. Program Discontinuation • Programs reviewed annually • Enrollment status • Graduation rates • Related employment • Workforce growth projections • Concerns and implications • Suspended or discontinued- impact future enrollments

19. College Survival- • Shifting Enrollments due to economy • Employment good- enrollment down • Employment bad- enrollment up • Balanced curriculum areas • Manufacturing declines in related trades • 1950- 33.1% • 2003- 10.7% • Need for managers and technicians with AAS • 1984- 21% • 2000- 28% • Need to consider before discontinuance

20. Survival Cont… • Enrollments must enhance opportunities for all individuals • Non-traditional students • Older students • Minorities • Remedial • Immigrants

21. MATC: Balancing Roles • To attract and cultivate workforce • Colleges must have balance of programs to serve • multiple constituencies • Students • Businesses and industries • Deal with concerns • Environmental - employment rates • Academic infrastructure (faculty, training matrl’s) • Capacity and capacity building

22. Balance Role Cont… Must have a skilled workforce and opportunities to work or companies will move resulting in: • Increased unemployment • Increased crime • Deflated housing market • Social unrest

23. Skilled Worker Shortage • Reason • Retirements of large number of workers • Low numbers of individuals being prepared to enter workforce • Large numbers of individuals whose skills are misaligned with company needs

24. Critical Areas • Shortages extend to: Manufacturing Pharmaceuticals Education Health care

25. MATC Strategies • High unemployment among minorities • Skilled worker shortages • Program information sessions • Recruitment • Special counseling • Focus on unemployed • Need jobs to support themselves!!

26. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs • Five levels of need • Physiological – air, water • Safety - employment, health, safety • Belonging – family, friendships • Esteem – confidence, respect for self • Self-actualization – creativity, problem solving

27. Learning Styles • 67% learn best when work with others • 22% learn best when work on their own • 10% learn best when listening • 2% learn by reading Need to consider learning styles when teaching

28. Immigration Issues • Hispanics- growth • 14% in 2005 • 20% in 2030- • 57% of 16-64 year olds – foreign born • Individuals shunned by educators and society • disadvantaged • immigrants • remedial

29. Collaboration Across Businesses, Governments and Colleges • Need to increase AAS degree attainment- Manufacturing down but!!! • 57% of jobs in region relate to manufacturing • Need to increase economic sustainability by: • High levels of business and industry involvement • Workforce funding streams • Employment and training coordination • Support for new workers • Career development opportunities

30. Maintaining Quality • Program Assessment and Review • Necessary to ensure programs are up-to-date/ relevant • Attractive to students • Provide gainful employment • Sustainable wage and job availability • Connecting with Business - Office of Corporate Learning (OCL) • Emphasis on incumbent workers • 38.14 contracts

31. Cultivating a Workforce:Global Perspective • Issues in Europe • Low birth rates • Immigration • Australia expects 30,000 vacancies in health care • Russia, Italy, Japan facing reductions in working-age populations

32. Training Opportunities - Nursing • High need for health-care workers - nurses • Expanded from one location to four • Creating additional opportunities for • non-traditional students to participate • Students working (full- or part-time) • Flexible schedules • Required additional faculty and equipment

33. Dealing with Shortages - What businesses can do! • Rather than raid other businesses and industries • Involve employees in engaging work • Help employees do a better job • Provide employees with challenges • Interact with employees • Need to cultivate workers to ensure skills and interests are matched

34. Worker Shortages - Bucyrus International Project • Threat to move company • What questions needed to be answered: • Where would students come from? • How would students be identified? • What type of program needed to be developed? • What were the skills required? • How would the program be delivered? • What were the costs?

35. Project Cont… • What equipment was required? • Did the faculty have the required expertise? • Responses • Developed a 12-week, 480-hour program • Purchased 22 new welders • Obtained $500K for tuition and fees • Set up an office for inquiries • Radio and television talk shows

36. Project Cont… • Developed 400 orientation sessions • Scheduled interviews for applicants • Results • 50% of graduates employed • Problems: • labor intensive • Time consuming

37. Additional Funding - Grant Activities • Wisconsin Performance of Skills Standards • ECAM - Energy, Conservation, and Advanced Manufacturing • Department of Labor Grant • Capacity building for pre-college students • Teacher leadership • Align curriculum

38. Hot Programs • Allied Health - 26.2% of colleges added • Industrial-skilled trades - most discontinued 26.3% • 65% of colleges that responded – reviewed or modified curriculum for homeland security

39. Closing Comments • Vocationalism will be here for a long time • Worker preparation will play an increasingly important role • Patterns of program development will continue to be based on needs • Community colleges will continue to have acceptance difficulties • Lifelong learning will gain in importance • Graduation rates will continue to be issue