Community Colleges: Catalysts for Workforce Development

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Community Colleges: Catalysts for Workforce Development

By Dr. Mautra Staley Jones

 

Workforce development has been an important topic among lawmakers, business leaders and community groups in Oklahoma.

Workers want to acquire the skills they need to be employable and qualified for better jobs and higher pay. They seek credentials that help them get hired and stay hired. But it’s more than that — workers also want to learn new skills that help them move up in position and pay.

Businesses want a qualified pool of talent to hire from, a workforce ready to perform in the company’s open positions. Businesses also want to keep their current workforce skilled and trained. Employees who continue to learn new skills in their workplaces report higher measures of job satisfaction and show increased productivity (https://www.devlinpeck.com/content/employee-training-statistics).

Institutions of higher education can be the conduits for workforce development, and community colleges are uniquely positioned to excel at it.

At a community college, students enjoy affordable education options. Community college tuition rates are typically much lower than those of four-year institutions or private training providers. Class schedules are flexible and structured to be convenient for those working full-time or part-time jobs or helping with family care. Night, weekend and online options are available, and course lengths vary from the traditional 16 weeks to terms as short as a few days.

For businesses, community colleges are valuable partners, working alongside companies to provide the specific training their workforce needs. Community colleges offer a menu of customized educational options that can be delivered on campus, online or even on-site at a company’s location.

Upskilling is the key to workforce development through condensed education options such as micro-credentials and certificates. Shorter than traditional degree programs, micro-credentials and certificates allow students to broaden their skill set in less time and at a lower cost.

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE)’s UpskillOK website is a resource of career-focused credentials to help students digitally showcase their knowledge and skills by promoting employment opportunities, leveraging key community partnerships unique to individual institutions, and connecting industry partners to Oklahoma students before and after graduation.

A micro-credential is a qualification focused on specific professional or career disciplines. Micro-credentials generally consist of up to nine hours of credit courses that provide particular career critical knowledge, skills, and abilities that can be easily transferred to the workforce. Micro-credentials may also be earned through non-credit activities, projects or workshops.

Coursework taken as part of a certificate program or micro-credential will apply toward course requirements for an associate degree in the same program. For those wishing to pursue four-year degrees, transfer agreements between community colleges and four-year institutions facilitate seamless pathways to higher education opportunities.

 

 

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