By Alex Johnson, Ph.D., president, Cuyahoga Community College
Morris W. Beverage Jr., DM, president, Lakeland Community College
Para M. Jones, Ph.D., president, Stark State College
Roy Church, Ed.D., president, Lorain County Community College
Our nation’s educational system depends on public two-year institutions for a solid, affordable education that prepares many students for what they truly want and need after graduation: a quality job with good wages. Fortunately, Northeast Ohio has four community colleges that often work in concert to provide viable post-secondary options to improve educational and labor force rates in the region.
In the fall of 2013, the community colleges in Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain and Stark counties enrolled 65,471 students. Our graduates transferred seamlessly to four-year institutions in Ohio and beyond or accepted employment in nursing, health care, information technology, human services, manufacturing and other sectors. Our student bodies reflect our commitment to provide access to the poor, older adults and individuals of color, groups that comprise about 75 percent of our overall enrollments.
Together, we are responding to national, state and local imperatives to increase educational attainment through aggressive proposals so an average of 5,500 students will graduate annually by 2020. This target aligns with President Barack Obama’s national goal to increase degree completion by 50 percent. His desire is to improve America’s ranking of 16th among the 34 nations of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and maintain a vibrant workforce for the nation’s industries.
Focused engagement
The degree completion imperative is transforming how our two-year institutions are delivering educational programs and services. For example, more focused engagement with secondary education through programs like College Credit Plus, which enables high school students to earn college credit, helps to prepare students for a rigorous college environment.
When they arrive at our colleges, students benefit from programs such as Achieving the Dream and Completion by Design, which provide structured pathways and systems that help students progress. Faculty and staff are working together to reshape learning in and out of the classroom to improve outcomes, particularly in the English and mathematics skills needed to succeed in career and technical programs.
We are working to shrink the skills gap, which threatens individual prosperity and the capacity to recruit and retain businesses seeking a trained workforce in the state and region. Yet, employers still need more highly educated and skilled individuals, especially in technical fields, and they are determined to get involved directly.
The Greater Cleveland Partnership recently announced an initiative funded by the Cleveland Foundation to create more pathways from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District to manufacturing jobs. This is the kind of engagement from stakeholders that has proven beneficial to prepare a workforce of technically trained individuals. Community colleges can and do play a key role in such partnerships by providing the programs, facilities, degrees and certificates that lead to these careers.
Collaborative approach
Our colleges have approached this challenge in a collaborative fashion. Cuyahoga Community College and Lorain County Community College are partners in the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs grant.
LCCC leads a Department of Labor-funded grant with Tri-C, Lakeland Community College and Stark State College as part of 11 educational partners. Stark State is leading the development of a federal grant to expand joint apprenticeship training at all of our institutions. Lakeland, LCCC and Tri-C are participants in the Steelworkers of the Future program, and LCCC and Stark are gearing up for the Right Skills Now program pioneered at Tri-C.
We are all engaged in MAGNET, an organization committed to advancing manufacturing, at both the board and program levels.
Still, we recognize that much work remains to develop a more integrated approach to education and training in the region. We must promote programs’ affordability and availability for students across county lines, regardless of home institution.
Our colleges will continue to work together to secure government and private funds that provide resources for equipment and financial aid. Expanded partnerships with businesses are needed to identify additional technical skills required in the workplace. Full participation in conversations at GCP, Team NEO, MAGNET and other regional economic development partners will continue to ensure that we are working together, not duplicating efforts.
This period of economic growth should serve as a foundation to prepare individuals for jobs and leadership now and in the future. Collaboration, not competition, is key to this effort.
www.tri-c.edu
www.lakelandcc.edu
www.lorainccc.edu
www.starkstate.edu
