Member Matters January 2024

Shortening Career, Education, and Training Pathways
American Public University System (APUS) is introducing a bachelor of science degree in cybersecurity that students can complete in three years. APUS is one of just 13 postsecondary institutions in the U.S. that are part of the College in 3 Exchange, "a national effort which encourages universities to reimagine the traditional four-year bachelor's curriculum" (APUS).

Employ Prince George's has opened the first-ever affiliated American Job Center within a building trades union. The Building Trades Career Center will house apprenticeships and other training programs along with career coaching resources (The Daily Record).

Kaskaskia College is rolling out a tool to help students better navigate complex education-employment pathways. The resource, which is integrated in the college's registration process, includes a career coach and helps prospective students identify high school courses that can give them a head start in college credit (Illinois Business Journal).

CareerSource Tampa Bay has launched a new centralized source of employment and training opportunities as well. Its web-based Community Resource Search Tool also directs users to support including housing assistance and health care (CareerSource Tampa Bay).

Proactive Partnerships
North Carolina Central University is leading a coalition comprised of HBCUs and North Carolina's sole historically American Indian University, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, that is making free training in life sciences manufacturing available to college students and the general public. The coalition includes three other CAEL members: Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, and Saint Augustine's University (WFAE).

Umpqua Community College and the Roseburg city council are combining efforts and funding to develop the Southern Oregon Medical Workforce Center (The News-Review).

Elizabethtown College is partnering with the city of Lancaster, the Milton Hershey School, and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard on tuition discount programs (Elizabethtown College).

Ohio University is leading an effort to expand the broadband workforce in southeast Ohio. Its partners include Hocking College and the local workforce development board (Ohio University).

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education and the Indiana Latino Institute are partnering to host Esperanza, "a task force dedicated to improving higher education access, success, and outcomes for Hispanic or Latino Hoosiers" (LaGrange Standard).

Pace Suburban Bus and the College of DuPage are collaborating on a two-week program to train professional bus operators at no cost to students. The program is followed by six weeks of paid on-the-job training (Mass Transit).

Encouraging Enrollment Trends
A focus on nontraditional students, embracing transfer credit, and robust online offerings have contributed to increased enrollment at Tiffin University (WTOL).

As part of an effort in Ohio to enroll more traditionally underserved students in STEM programs, Mount St. Joseph University is offering grant-funded scholarships to its computer and technology program and its hands-on, industry-aligned learning experiences (Mount St. Joseph University).

Well-tailored Workforce Credentials
An apprenticeship can lead to more than 1,300 occupations, and Kaskaskia College can seemingly cover just about all of them. Working with employers to "design tailored programs for nearly any industry," the college is using apprenticeships to engage "both traditional students right out of high school and non-conventional students" (Illinois Business Journal).

The College of DuPage is offering a new certificate that prepares students to enter the high-growth tax-preparation field (Daily Herald).

Seventy-five graduates recently completed Heartland Community College's Workforce Equity Initiative (WEI) program. Launched in 2019, the program is dedicated to increasing underserved learners' access to short-term certificates that support employment in high-growth occupations (WGLT).

Lorain County Community College is delighting the insurance industry with a new certificate program that fast-tracks students into position to pass the licensing exam while delivering them nine college credits (Ohio Insurance Agents).

Parkland College is also fast-tracking students -- in the construction sector. In 12 to 18 weeks, its highway construction careers training program can qualify a person with no previous construction experience (WCIA).

According to a report to the Nebraska Legislature, the University of Nebraska's Career Scholarships program is driving positive retention, completion, and labor market outcomes. For example, more than 92% of recipients from the most recent academic year completed or persisted in their program of study. Career Scholarships are only applicable to certain high-demand programs, and participating students must complete an experiential learning component to graduate (University of Nebraska).

EPCE member Duke Energy's Duke Energy Foundation is investing $350,000 to help 11 community colleges, including CAEL member Forsyth Tech, bolster their lineworker training resources (Duke Energy). 

A new B.S. in data science at National University is tailored to help veterans transition into an occupation that is expected to grow by 35% in the decade ending 2032 (National University).

Thanks to funding from Peach State Health Plan and the Centene Foundation, Georgia Southern University will strengthen a program that extends health care education and training to fill critical labor shortages in rural areas (Philanthropy News Digest).

Success Stories
During the holiday season, the University of Wisconsin-Superior's annual Giving Tree program, which collects presents for the children of student parents, supported 26 families, providing gifts to 71 children (UW-Superior).

More than 25 years after commencing her postsecondary degree journey, a Western Carolina University student participated in the university's December commencement ceremony, having completed her bachelor's degree with key support from WCU's Finish Line degree completion program (WCU).

Miami University in Ohio shared the story of an adult learner who successfully balanced work, parenthood, and her studies to earn a degree that resonated with her on both a personal and professional level (Miami University).

A husband and wife motivated each other to persist in their studies at Albany State University while working full-time and raising three children. The couple graduated together in December (WALB).

Awards and Other Recognition
Pima Community College celebrated the conclusion of its 10-month Southern Arizona Workforce Leadership Academy. Twenty workforce development leaders representing multiple organizations collaborated in the Academy on solutions to support Arizona's workforce ecosystem (Pima Community College).