Friday, March 31, 2023

Play

Donald Trump indicted by Manhattan grand jury, Georgia campaign fights to reopen local hospitals, and New Mexico creates first-ever $100M conservation fund.

Play

Former President Donald Trump is indicted by Manhattan's district attorney, House Republicans take aim at renewables in new energy bill and House Dems introduce the Women's Protection Health Act.

Play

Small towns respond to a hidden housing and homelessness crisis, a new national weather prediction system will help close the gap between urban and rural forecasting, and more rural communities are eligible for a design project to boost economic development.

Community College Survey to Open Up Job Opportunities

Play

Tuesday, December 15, 2020   

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Millions of Americans are unemployed, and community and technical colleges could be key to getting them back to work. But one hurdle is a lack of data on the programs schools offer to retrain folks for new jobs.

To overcome this barrier, Opportunity America is surveying 1,100 institutions on the non-credit workforce development programs they offer to create a first-ever list of options nationwide.

Tillamook Bay Community College president Ross Tomlin said colleges such as his will be crucial to the retraining workers. He offered an example of his school's truck-driving course.

"With a month of training, they can go out and get a job making $50,000 or more - huge living-wage job," Tomlin said. "So those are the kind of things that community colleges can do, and we're built to be flexible and responsive to industry needs."

Tomlin said community colleges can start up programs within a matter of months depending on industries' needs. Tillamook Bay also offers manufacturing and industrial-technology programs that partner with local industry, such as the Tillamook Creamery.

President of Opportunity America Tamar Jacoby said there's been a revolution over the past decade in how colleges, high schools and employers train people for the workforce, streamlining the way folks go through programs.

"Don't make the people necessarily sit here for two years and learn a lot of stuff that isn't relevant," Jacoby said. "They can come back later if they want a degree, but right now, they need a job. It's about making sure that the institution is actually preparing people for jobs in demand."

Jacoby hopes the survey data will be helpful to state lawmakers, who are making education-related budget decisions.

"If we can give you that information, that could generate funding for more of these kinds of programs, it would help learners, it would help the college, and it would help the businesses that need a new kind of worker," she said.

Oregon lawmakers head back to the Capitol on Jan. 11.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.




get more stories like this via email

Some 77% of small business owners say the consolidation of hospital systems in their areas has worsened the overall availability and quality of health-care services in their communities. (Leigh Trail/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

Small-business owners in North Carolina are reaching out to legislators for help, citing hospital mergers as one reason their health-care costs are …


Environment

A REASONS TO BE CHEERFFUL/SOLUTIONS JOURNALISM NETWORK/WISCONSIN NEWS CONNCECTION COLLABORATION Milwaukee is tied to a wave of freeway removals in th…

Social Issues

Tennesseans aren't the only ones mourning the tragic loss of three children and three adults at this week's shooting at Nashville's Covenant School…


Sleep affects all aspects of health and, conversely, it's affected by everything going on in your mind and body, as well as in your environment, according to the American Sleep Apnea Association. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

Doctors in Iowa are studying the brains of babies to learn more about sleep patterns in adults and teens. The United Health Foundation reports one-…

Social Issues

While National Medal of Honor Month is ending, plans to develop a museum and monument for the award are continuing. Numerous Medal of Honor …

Health and Wellness

Two Atlanta facilities are the latest hospital closures in Georgia, reflecting a trend for more than a decade that's left tens of thousands of people …

Environment

New Mexico is using some of its surplus budget funds, primarily from oil and gas revenues, to establish the state's first-ever source of recurring …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021