Our topic of Workforce Development truly resonated with me for a couple of reasons. First, as a graduate of a community college vocational/technical program, I personally experienced the reward of workforce development when I was employed at a local hospital at 20 years of age. Secondly, as a vocational/technical program educator, I value and promote the partnerships between our Nuclear Medicine Technology program and area healthcare facilities. You see without these partnerships our students would not have the clinical education experiences needed for degree completion and certification. Additionally, these partnerships provide the Nuclear Medicine Technology profession with quality highly skilled technologists in the community.
Partnerships between the community and industry is the foundation for community colleges. These institutions exist to address the educational needs of the community it serves and therefore has been the driving force in workforce development. Students of all ages and educational levels turn to community colleges to provide them with the necessary skills and education to enter the workforce. As a result, community colleges have responded by providing credit and non-credit job training courses. In many institutions non-credit enrollment exceeds the number of enrolled credit students. For instance, Forsyth Tech served 24,342 non-credit students and 12,968 credit students during the 2013-2014 academic year (Forsyth Tech, 2015).
While the fundamental approach between vocational/technical credit programs and non-credit programs is workforce development, most community colleges structurally separate them within the organization. It is my opinion this silos workforce development faculty and staff and inhibits collaboration towards the common goal of workforce development. This is evidenced by the challenges I have encountered in trying to collaborate with the non-credit Nursing Assistance I program to provide our students with the necessary patient care soft skills needed to start many health technology programs. The Nursing Assistance I program exists to provide specific job skills to obtain certification and job placement but does not award curriculum credit. The credit versus non-credit delineation creates challenges in programs where these skills overlap and de-emphasize the cross disciplinary workforce development opportunity.
I question whether a more holistic approach between continuing education and curriculum programs would strengthen the workforce development pathway. Has North Carolina Community Colleges complicated workforce development educational pathways? The answer to this questions requires inquiry and thought to this matter. Let's take some time to evaluate other community college system approaches to workforce development and then consider our options.
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4KFgBaEluE
References:Forsyth Tech, (2015). Fast facts. Retrieved from http://www.forsythtech.edu/discover/fast-facts/
Tammy, many WD units are money-makers for their community colleges, bringing in much needed money to support their institutions.Being a funding source may have to do with their separation from the institution in some cases, but programs can be designed, approved, and offered within WD in weeks compared to being housed on the academic side.
ReplyDeleteSeveral WD units in VA CCs are self-sufficient - they make enough money to cover their own expenses including staff - and give money back to the CC. Many students who start in a WD proggram with their business go on to pursue a degree at the CC, moving them into the academic side of the house.
Some CCs "try out" a program through WD before seeking state approval simply to determine community interest. ....
WD is really fundamental to the mission of the CC...and meet different needs from those of Continuing Education.