A record number of student teams from community colleges across the country competed this year in the annual Community College Innovation Challenge, with the American Association of Community Colleges announcing on Tuesday that 12 teams have advanced to the final round in June. Now in its ninth year, the competition run by AACC, in partnership […]
Skills Gap Articles
Addressing the need for behavioral health professionals
This May, the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) joins the nation in observing Mental Health Awareness Month. CCCS has spent several years developing a program designed to address the urgent need for behavioral health professionals. At the cornerstone of this program are five industry-recognized certificates, each of which can be completed in less than a […]
Graduates to serve Michigan’s defense sector
At the end of March, the first 21 students in Macomb Community College’s Michigan Maritime Manufacturing (M3) 17-week accelerated training programs graduated, prepared to immediately contribute to the work of southeast Michigan’s local defense sector. Eleven students completed the maritime CNC machining program, while 10 students graduated from the maritime welding program. All the M3 […]
Bringing training, jobs to communities impacted by natural disasters
With assistance from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) and Lowe’s, Blue Ridge Community College launched this week a new accelerated construction workforce training program to help Western North Carolina workers secure stable jobs while assisting in the rebuilding of their communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. The program is free to students […]
Helping incarcerated individuals transition into the workforce
East Central Community College (ECCC) in Mississippi is expanding its workforce training initiatives with the new mobile welding center relocating to the Leake County Correctional Facility. This innovative site aims to provide incarcerated individuals with welding skills to support their successful reintegration into society. The mobile welding lab, acquired by ECCC through funding from AccelerateMS, […]
EMCC, MSU partner to train men at The Mission
East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) and Mississippi State University, key stakeholders in the SmartTech Mississippi project, have launched a pilot program to provide free noncredit electrical training to men at The Mission, a faith-based residential treatment program in West Point. The Mission assists those seeking to make positive changes in their lives. EMCC will provide […]
Butchery program supplies meat prep workforce
It’s an adventurous year for Madison College student Robert Moreland who is visiting local farms to learn how pigs are processed for meat. The North Carolina native moved to Wisconsin, attracted by the free tuition offered by the college’s renowned two-year Artisanal Modern Meat Butchery program, which teaches exceptional butchery skills — an art that […]
Forging paths to success in healthcare
For students like Esther Duran, Wanda Wrobleski and Richard Garcia, the journey to a fulfilling career in healthcare has been transformed thanks to the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) and the Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI). Funded by a $75,000 grant from the legendary rock band’s foundation, All Within My Hands, and managed in partnership […]
Alabama’s workforce is key to manufacturing’s future
Huntsville has long been a symbol of American innovation. From the Apollo missions to the cutting-edge work happening today at Redstone Arsenal and the Marshall Space Flight Center, this city embodies the power of American ingenuity. That same spirit of innovation fuels our nation’s manufacturing industry — an industry that is not only driving economic […]
A fresh start for one community’s unhoused population
At Pima Community College (PCC), serving “nontraditional” learners is a specialty. The college has become particularly adept at getting adults enrolled in and through training programs and into high-wage jobs. In 2021, it launched FastTrack, a program that allows learners to earn a stackable micro-credential in three to six months. “Providing market-driven curriculum is a […]