# Presentation: 864311

## Archived InformationCommunity Colleges: Strengthening a Key American Resource  

*Susan Sclafani, Assistant Secretary*
*Office of Vocational and Adult Education *
*United States Department of Education, April 2005   *

## Key Points for Discussion 

- The Global Economy and Skills
- Perkins Reauthorization
- Career Pathways and CCTI
- Labor Market Responsiveness

## The Changing U.S. Workforce 

**Unskilled**
**60%**

**Skilled**
**20%**

**Professional**
**20%**

**Skilled**
**65%**

**Unskilled**
**15%**

**Professional**
**20%**

**1950**

**1997**

*National Summit on 21**st** Century Skills for 21**st** Century Jobs*

## Fastest Growing Jobs Require Some Education Beyond High School

## Higher Learning = Higher Earning

## Credentials Matter

| Returns to: | Male | Female |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 year of postsecondary CTE courses | 
8% | 
--- |
| Postsecondary CTE certificate | 
-- | 
16% |
| CTE associate degree | 30% | 47% |

**Percentage Difference in Earnings Between Postsecondary CTE Students and High School Graduates (2000)**

- NAVE 2004:  Forthcoming

## Four Year Degrees?

- On average, workers with associate degrees earn less than those with bachelor’s degrees, but 83 percent of workers with associate degrees earn *the same as* workers with bachelor’s degrees.

- Carnevale and Desrochers, *Standards for What?,* 2003.

## Percentage of population with a postsecondary credential 

- 55-64

- 45-54

- 35-44

- 25-34

*Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2003*

- International Competition

**Notes:**
Recently, our competitors have been emulating our example and are closing the gap. 

We may have the best-educated 55 to 64 year olds in the world, but our education edge has eroded or disappeared among younger generations.  We rank number one in the world in the percentage of 55 to 64 year olds who have completed secondary and postsecondary education.  Among 25 to 34 year olds, however, we rank number eight in secondary completion, and are number four in postsecondary completion.  

## International Competition

|  | 1990 | 2000 | % Change |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| U.S. | 13.7 | 15.7 | +15% |
| China | 3.8 | 13.6 | +258%
 |
| India | 4.9 | 9.4 | +92% |

**Students Enrolled in Postsecondary**
- (in thousands)

- UNESCO, 2003

**Notes:**
Only about 10 percent of the 18 to 23 year olds in China and India enroll in postsecondary education.

These nations are so enormous, however, that they now have the second and third largest postsecondary enrollments in the world.

China has set a goal of enrolling 15 percent of its young adults in postsecondary education by 2005. If they succeed they will have the largest postsecondary enrollment in the world.

## The Perkins Act Reauthorization: Challenges for modernizing Career Technical Education  

## Challenges for Modern CTE 

- All youth need a high level of core academic skills, regardless of their chosen educational and career path.
- Many high schools and traditional voc-ed are not currently designed to meet this objective
- Millions of adults currently in the workforce also need to strengthen and acquire new academic and technical skills.
- Connections between high schools, college and employers must be strengthened.

**Notes:**
NEED TO DEAL WITH THESE CHALLENGES NOW...

AT THE CHEMICAL PLANT where I was a foreman, a knotty problem developed. No one there had encountered it before. By the end of the day one worker suggested, "Johnson is the oldest operator in this unit. He must have run into this problem in the past. Why don't we ask him what to do when he comes in on the evening shift?" As soon as Johnson arrived, I described the predicament. Asked if he had ever encountered a similar situation, Johnson answered, "Yep." "Well," I said, "what did you do?" "Left it for the next shift," the old-timer replied. 
--Contributed to "All In a Day's Work"by F.K. Hill

ARE WE JUST GOING TO LEAVE THESE CHALLENGES TO THE “NEXT SHIFT”??

## Perkins Reauthorization:Emerging Consensus

**Career Pathway Programs**
- (“Model Sequence of Courses”)
- Partnerships between high schools and postsecondary institutions.
- Challenging academic core.
- Non-duplicative technical courses leading to degree or certificate.
- Career pathways that are in-demand and lead to economic self-sufficiency.
- At least one offered by each grant recipient.
- State role in developing and approving career pathways.

## Perkins Reauthorization:Legislative Status 

**H.R. 366.  Introduced on 1/26/05**
**Based closely on H.R. 4496 from the 108****th**** Congress.**
**Full Committee mark-up on 3/9/05.  **
**House consideration expected soon.**
**S. 250.  Introduced on 2/1/05**
**Based closely on S. 2686 from the 108****th**** Congress.**
**Committee mark-up on 3/9/05.**
**Senate passage on 3/10/04. **
**Conference negotiations to follow House passage.**

## Slide 14

## CCTI Sites

**EDUCATION AND TRAINING**
- Anne Arundel Community College (Maryland)
- Lorain County College (Ohio)
- Maricopa Community Colleges (Arizona)
**HEALTH SCIENCE**
- Ivy Tech State Community College (Indiana)
- Miami Dade College (Florida)
- Northern Virginia Community College (Virginia)
**INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY**
- Central Piedmont Community College (North Carolina)
- Corning Community College (New York)
- Southwestern Oregon Community College (Oregon)

## CCTI Sites

**LAW, PUBLIC SAFETY, AND SECURITY**
- Fox Valley Technical College (Wisconsin)
- Prince George's Community College (Maryland)
- San Diego Community College District (California)
**SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS**
- Lehigh Carbon Community College (Pennsylvania)
- Sinclair Community College (Ohio)
- St. Louis Community College (Missouri)

## Slide 17

## 7 Elements of Labor Market Responsiveness

- Leadership and Governance
- Organizational Structure and Staffing
- Organizational culture
- Resources and funding
- Information and Data
- Relationship Building
- Partnerships

**Notes:**
Leadership and governance 
The leadership of top college officials—the president, the board of trustees, the vice presidents, and the deans—underlies and influences each of the other six dimensions.   Effective leaders make market responsiveness one of their college’s priorities and communicate this mission internally and externally.  They maintain a regional, national, or even international outlook, conveying a vision that extends beyond the college’s traditional service area. 

Organizational structure and staffing
The reporting structure of community colleges reflects their priorities. At responsive colleges, the continuing education or workforce development division no longer suffers from second-class status in comparison with credit programs, and this is reflected in the senior administration.

Organizational culture
In responsive colleges, new values, attitudes, and orientations toward market-responsive activities prevail over traditional mindsets. The culture is entrepreneurial, flexible, open-minded, innovative, and collaborative.

Resources and funding
Successful labor market responsiveness requires adequate resources. College leadership assumes responsibility for identifying and accessing these resources.

Information and data
Effective community college leaders rely on solid data and current information to inform their strategic planning and decision-making.

Relationship-building
Responsive colleges develop relationships with an expanded set of constituencies—a broader range of employer partners and economic development groups, planning groups, community-based organizations, K–12 systems,
four-year educational institutions, political leaders and power brokers, the department of social services and Workforce Investment Boards (WIB), industry associations, and unions.

Partnerships
Effective colleges partner with employers and associations based on strategic priorities. They assess local labor market needs and determine how the college could most effectively meet them. They consider future trends and partner with emerging and expanding industries.

## More Information:http://www.ed.gov/communitycollege

*Susan Sclafani, Assistant Secretary*
*Office of Vocational and Adult Education *
*United States Department of Education, April 2005   *