AACC is partnering with the National Science Foundation (NSF) on the Mentor-Connect project designed to provide mentors, faculty development and resources to help community colleges and their faculty benefit from NSF’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program. If your college has not received NSF grant funding in the past seven years, has a need to develop […]
Skills Gap Articles
Report roundup
Here are three reports you should know about this month. Racial workforce diversity is a key driver of America’s economic growth as it is one of the most important predictors of business sales revenue, customer numbers, and profitability, say the authors of a new National Skills Coalition report. However, as more jobs require education beyond […]
Quick on the uptake
Why do businesses like to team up with community colleges? Because they grasp what company partners need and respond quickly. That’s key to creating successful partnerships with businesses, according to two panels of experts convened Sept. 12 by the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. When Amazon wanted to create an apprenticeship in cloud computing, it […]
Filling the pipeline for water tech jobs
There are a growing number of job opportunities for water technicians across the U.S. as the industry confronts a wave of retirements, yet community colleges find it challenging to attract enough students. “There are definitely more people retiring in the field than people qualified for those jobs in Minnesota,” says instructor Gregg Kropp of St. Cloud […]
Courting new training programs
For community colleges, providing customized training for employers in the community makes good business sense. Riverside Community College District’s Customized Training Solutions (CTS) and Office of Economic Development recently developed a unique training program for employees of the Superior Courts of California. The 58 Superior Courts of California will see a significant number of court […]
First Metallica Scholars grads
Edwin Ponce Juarez went to work in a distribution center warehouse after graduating from high school, but he knew there were opportunities for better-paying jobs in the professional trades. He became a “Metallica Scholar,” gaining in-demand skills through the welding program at Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) in Michigan. “I needed a new direction,” he […]
Giving students the world
In Minnesota, employers are looking more and more for multi-lingual employees also can demonstrate that they have a global perspective and awareness. Normandale Community College has responded with a flexible international experience certificate. The certificate requires a five-credit world language course, a three-credit culture and civilization course, a three-credit world languages and cultures department study […]
Filling California’s jobs gap
Nineteen-year-old Nick Soultanian has been building his own personal computers since the ninth grade, and was adept in code by his senior year of high school. He’s currently preparing for his future career in San Diego’s booming computer science industry, and couldn’t be happier with his choice to pursue it through a community college education. […]
A partnership takes flight
Pennsylvania’s Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) and Butler County Community College (BC3) are partnering to address the shortage of commercial pilots. This fall, they’ll establish an aviation academy for Butler County high school juniors and seniors. The academy is intended to provide a pathway into professional pilot, air traffic control and unmanned aerial vehicle […]
A win for S.C. residents
In South Carolina, college became a little more affordable. The South Carolina Workforce and Industry Needs Scholarship (SC WINS) – passed in June by the state’s general assembly – is designed to address workforce shortages in the state while giving students in these critical needs majors a tuition discount. The scholarship supplements the state’s Lottery […]