Community colleges all over are stepping up to help their communities during the coronavirus pandemic. Many have been using 3D printers and fabrication labs to help make face shields or other personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers. Edmonds College in Washington is working with an aerospace goods company to not only manufacture face shields […]
Skills Gap Articles
Shoring up the nursing shortage
The coronavirus pandemic has underscored the importance of healthcare workers. In Springfield, Ill. – as in many places – nursing shortages already exist. That will, hopefully, change in the future. Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC) has teamed up with Memorial Health System (MHS) to expand nursing education. This partnership will allow LLCC to admit 90 […]
Engineering a jump start
As he approached graduation at Atholton High School in Columbia, Maryland, Grant Bunyard didn’t plan to attend Howard Community College (HCC). He had toured engineering programs at four-year universities in the area and figured he would end up at one of them. But when he looked at Howard’s engineering department, he realized that in addition […]
Supporting multicultural entrepreneurs
Colorado’s Morgan Community College (MCC)—and the community it serves—are working on a new program to remove barriers around language for local entrepreneurs. MCC plans to launch a Multicultural Entrepreneurship Program to provide support for Spanish- and Somali-speaking individuals interested in opening or expanding their businesses, and who may need help accessing education or community supports. […]
Global focus enhances learning
A focus on global education has enhanced student learning at Harper College in Illinois. It’s also landed the college the Institute of International Education (IIE) Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education. Harper received the award for the Community College category for its Global Region of Focus (GRF) Initiative. The Heiskell Award honors colleges […]
Making the humanities a priority
Last week, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded grants to eight community colleges for humanities projects. That number is a fraction of the total number of projects recognized by the NEH; in all, 188 projects are getting grant funding. But the humanities are getting more attention at community colleges. That’s good for both students […]
Developing a teacher pipeline
Seminole State College of Florida, the University of Central Florida (UCF) and Seminole County Public Schools (SCPS) have partnered to launch a new program to fill teaching positions in the school district. The Education and Cultivation Homegrown (TEACH) program was developed so SCPS can grow their own teaching staff. “The intent of the TEACH program […]
Mapping a new future
It was just two years ago that Mickey Davis, 29, was employed as a bartender when one day he noticed a map on a back wall of the kitchen where he worked. “I was thinking about what I wanted to do with my career,” he said. That’s when Davis had a eureka moment and began […]
At rural colleges, workforce development on a budget
It has nothing to do with Monty Python, but the Flying Circus drone-race events during the past three years in Covington, Virginia, are one of many reasons and indications that rural community colleges and their students are looking toward the bright side of life. Dabney S. Lancaster Community College in nearby Clifton Forge, a co-host […]
Same town, new start
Charles Baker and Jeff Wilson have a lot in common. Second and third-generation coal miners, respectively, they both believed their jobs would last a lifetime. With four children ranging from six to 19, Wilson had spent over a decade underground. A father of two, ages 13 and 18, Baker had accumulated over 20 years in […]