recognition and accreditation of short-cycle higher education programs in europe and the united...

Recognition and Accreditation ofShort-Cycle Higher Education Programs

in Europe and the United States:Aligning Educational Systems

International ConferenceGolden Sands, Bulgaria

June 15-16, 2009

Short-Cycle Higher Education

Building Bridges: Improving Interactions between Business and Education

Workforce Development Programs at American Community Colleges: Identifying Effective

Programs, and the Traits and Characteristics Shared by Effective Programs

Dr. Dan de VriesUniversity of Toledo

June 15, 2009


presentation will cover:

role of the American community college

evolving role of community colleges in fosteringworkforce development

survey of successful American community college workforce development programs

discussion of unifying threads which underlie these effective programs


ROLE OF THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

transfer to four-year (Bachelor degree granting) institution

basic academic and learning skills

developmental and remedial classes

continuing and lifelong learning

vocational training and workforce development


HOW CC ROLE HAS EVOLVED RELATIVELY RECENTLY: WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT MORE IMPORTANT

economic engine for ailing national economy

cc is responsive to local and regional needsfast turn-around time to changes in economygood location for contract training/customized trainingflexible class schedules for busy employed adults


SURVEY OF SUCCESSFUL AMERICAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

~1100 community colleges in United States

vast majority offer some form of workforce development program

successful programs distributed

throughout USA: north, south, east, west, central

among all demographic categories: urban, suburban, rural


HOW SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROGRAMS WERE IDENTIFIED:

1. literature review of community college workforce development participants

2. interviews with practitioners in the field

3. review of general literature in the field, including journal articles, magazine articles, books, electronic articles and reports, databases, newspapers, and other sources


1. literature review of community college workforce development participants

American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)Community College Research Center of Columbia University’s Teachers College National Science Foundation (NSF) The League for Innovation in the Community CollegeU.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Education and Training Administration (ETA)U.S. Department of Education (ED)


The League for Innovation in the Community College

select group of pioneering two-year schools that collaborates on new initiatives in education and training

twenty board member community colleges, including Sinclair Community College in Ohio


The League for Innovation in the Community College

hosts international conferences and institutes

develops web resources: http://www.league.org

conducts research and produces publications

provides organizational, networking, and contact services

leads projects and initiatives with member colleges, corporate partners, and international agencies


http://www.league.org/

effect of significant direct government intervention is evident

therefore, list of successful cc workforce development programs will be broken down into 2 groups:

1. cc workforce programs not directly associated with government grants

2. cc workforce programs principally funded by government grants


workforce programs principally funded by government grants; federal departments, agencies, and grant programs include:

Department of Labor’s (DOL) Education and Training Administration (ETA)

Department of Education (ED) created new position, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges

Workforce Investment Act (WIA) One-Stop Career Center System which is run by ETA


workforce programs principally funded by government grants; federal departments, agencies, and grant programs include:

Community-Based Job Training Grants (CBJTG) setup in ETA under President’s High Growth Job Training Initiative (PHGJTI)

Workforce Innovation and Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grants setup in ETA, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation grants

Strategic Partnerships for a Competitive Workforce Initiative “Partnership Initiative,” jointly run by ED and DOL’s ETA


workforce programs principally funded by government grants;federal departments, agencies, and grant programs include:

Community College Workforce Partnership Network (CCWPN) run by League for Innovation in the Community College with assistance from ETA, www.workforce3one.com web site

National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Advanced Technology Education program (ATE) National and Regional Centers of Excellence emphasis on two-year colleges, component of President Bush’s American Competitiveness Initiative

state governments have also funded workforce dvlpmt. grants


http://www.workforce3one.com/

SUCCESFUL CC WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS NOT DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH GOVERNMENT GRANTS

Carl Sandburg College, IllinoisColumbus State Community College, OhioDallas County Community College District, Texas Hagerstown Community College, MarylandNorth Iowa Area Community College, Iowa Southeastern Community College, North Carolina Spartanburg Technical College, South CarolinaWhatcom Community College and Yakima Valley Community College, Washington


SUCCESFUL CC WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS PRINCIPALLY FUNDED BY GOVERNMENT GRANTS

Cabrillo Community College, CaliforniaCommunity College of Baltimore County, MarylandCommunity College of Southern Nevada, NevadaKirkwood Community College, IowaLenoir Community College, North CarolinaLinn-Benton Community College and Portland Community College, Oregon Milwaukee Area Technical College and Waukesha County Technical College, WisconsinOakland Community College, MichiganOnondaga Community College, New YorkPassaic County Community College, New JerseySinclair Community College, Ohio Wallace Community College, Alabama


EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL AMERICAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE WORKFORCE

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

NOT FUNDED PRINCIPALLY BY GOVERNMENT GRANTS


Center for Manufacturing Excellence (CME) is a collaborative venture between Carl Sandburg College in Illinois and Maytag-Galesburg Refrigeration.

The CME houses: state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment customized training facilities state-of-the-art industrial diagnostic equipment Sandberg CC’s manufacturing certificate /degree programs CME was established in 1998 to address the Illinois region's anticipated labor shortage and Maytag's need for employees with advanced technology skills.


North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) Pappajohn Business and Entrepreneurial Center

Since the inception of the Pappajohn Center in 1996, the principally agricultural northern region of Iowa has seen a dramatic rise in new jobs and new business openings (and NIACC has enjoyed increased enrollment).



CUSTOMIZED WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING SOLUTIONS:

A short list of often used recruitment tools include:

Job opening postings on IowaJobs and America’s Job Bank Application distribution/collecting Job description development Applicant screening Applicant testing services Interview scheduling Interview space

In addition to finding and retaining quality employees, employee training is critical to the success and profitability of any business.


Business IncubatorsOn the farm, an incubator is a warm, protected place to put fertilized eggs so they can develop under the watchful eye of the farmer until they hatch. Likewise, the new business incubator on the NIACC campus is a nurturing environment where new businesses can develop and grow during those challenging first few years of existence.

EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL AMERICAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE WORKFORCE

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

FUNDED PRINCIPALLY BY GOVERNMENT GRANTS


Sinclair Community College, Dayton, OhioNational Center of Excellence for Manufacturing Education (NCME)

National Science Foundation (NSF) funded starting in 1995, under Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, as a National Center of Excellence

(Sinclair CC is also a founding member of The League for Innovation in the Community College)



SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), Maryland

President's Community-Based Job Training Grants (CBJTG) from U.S. Dept. of Labor’s (DOL) Education and Training Administration (ETA)

The 2007 CBJTG grant serves as a catalyst to educate an increased number of students and to provide upward mobility for incumbent health care employees in 3 high-growth/high-demand fields:

medical laboratory dental nursing


SHARED TRAITS AMONG SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY COLLEGE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

9 shared traits and characteristics were identified byanalysis of recognized successful community college workforce development programs, in combination with literature review and personal interviews with practitioners in the field



trait #1

recognizing the existence of a need in the community such as an economic recession, or an opportunity which calls for a collaborative response, such as the need for a healthcare specialty in a hard-to-reach rural area

community colleges must be responsive to local needs and concerns



trait #2

setting up a partnership which emphasizes shared mission and goals, and which capitalizes on the strengths which arise out of the diverse nature of the elements of the partnership

collaborations can flourish by capitalizing on their inherent diversity, rather than concealing or ignoring it



trait #3

ensuring that all partners to the collaboration receive substantial value and benefit from their participation, including economic and political rewards

successful partnerships sustain themselves only if all of the collaborators share in all of the varied rewards which accompany success



trait #4

having a strong, visionary, and resourceful leadership team (in the community college and in the business partners), particularly at the very top where the leader’s vision and insight are used to build a strong team with a shared vision

a solid senior management team is critical to effective workforce development partnerships



trait #5

establishing shared governance and accountability as solid cornerstones of partnership operation and management on both a day-to-day and long-term basis

participating on equal footing enables the collaboration to function well



trait #6

maintaining up-to-date curricula and teaching faculty for high-tech workforce development courses, as new information and methods evolve

typical current workforce development endeavors focus on high-demand, high-tech disciplines, where the content, infrastructure, and techniques are constantly changing as new discoveries are made



trait #7

sustaining flexibility in course offerings, both in their timing and duration, in order to accommodate the needs and schedules of selective, busy adults

higher education must be responsive to the needs of its clientele, who often have demanding and changing schedules



trait #8

setting up a technology center which integrates the community college’s vocational curricula with the training needs of the private sector

putting all of the multiple high-tech facilities under one roof is a proven method of improving efficiency and productivity



trait #9

providing academic scholarships directly from local businesses to students

keeping a close link between local industry and students is a key component of effective workforce development efforts


CONCLUSION

successful community college workforce development programs require:

robust, capable, and flexible leadershipwell-founded and nurtured trust among partnersconstant, open, and forthright communicationclear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of

each partnercommitment to a mutually developed goal or missiongood resources, flexibility, and organization

the need for such collaborative endeavors is expanding


recognition and accreditation of short-cycle higher education programs in europe and the united...

Documents

sinclair community college

american community colleges

community collegeu

member college

review of general literature

magazine articles

electronic articles

journal articles