ACE | Helping America Get Out of the Red by Going Green: Training Programs Boost Workforce, Face Their Own Financial Setbacks

In the wake of the global recession, there is no shortage of Americans either looking to upgrade their skills to stay employed, or gain different competencies and launch new careers after losing their jobs. Just in time, the stimulus bill is expected to create or save approximately 3.7 million new jobs, many of those in education, health care, and environmental fields. In order to fill these positions with skilled workers, colleges and universities will need to step up quickly with programs that provide the appropriate training and skills. Many technical schools and community colleges—offering the right programs at the right time—have recently experienced large jumps in enrollment; however, with limited funding or impending budget cuts, these programs now have long waiting lists.

Washington's Worker Retraining Program

Washington's 34 colleges were funded to develop a Worker Retraining program, with external partners from business/industry, trade unions, and community agencies. Overseen by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the partnership between community and technical colleges and some licensed private schools, and the state Employment Security Department (ESD) provides job-related training and job development services for those who are unemployed through industry lay-offs or loss of self-employment due to the economic downturn, displaced homemakers, and veterans.

The partners work together through a college advisory committee as well as specific program committees. They review curriculum; recommend courses and programs to meet current and future workforce needs; provide resources, equipment, and opportunities for students to "shadow" or intern; and look for funding to create more apprenticeship and job opportunities.

One institution facing this dilemma is Clover Park Technical College (CPTC) in Lakewood, Washington. With over 50 programs, Clover Park's highly sought-after courses, such as licensed practical nurse, now have up to two-year waiting lists. At the same time, the State of Washington cut funding for its 34 community and technical colleges by $32 million in its 2008–2009 budget. Colleges like CPTC are running out of money for their workforce development programs and have seen other external funding sources dry up. Mabel Edmonds, dean for workforce development and education, says, "There is no funding to keep expanding these programs to meet the demand."

Given these challenges, CPTC is focused on using the best strategies for stretching their limited funds. "We are trying to have adequate funding to meet the needs that are there," says Financial Aid Coordinator Wendy Joseph, "but we are also trying to provide tuition, money for books—and the students are bringing their own personal challenges, including just being able to get to school."

Craig Peters is one of the many students grappling with tuition costs. After 21 years on the production side of the newspaper business, Peters is working toward an associate degree in environmental science. "A year ago, I wasn't preparing to change careers so I didn't have money laying around for tuition." When the CPTC program had adequate funding, students received grant awards to cover college costs. Now with decreased funding and a growing number of applicants, only a quarter of the tuition is covered through the Worker Retraining program. Students apply for financial aid to cover the rest of the costs. Says Peters, "For me, it's just finding a way to pay for everything. Unemployment only goes so far, and there's no money other than a student loan."

Brandon Kintop, Jodi Micona, and Craig Peters find many options for new careers through the Worker Training program at Clover Park Technical College (Read their interview with CenterPoint).

Getting on the Right Track

As Peters' enrollment indicates, the changes in the economic climate are causing the student body demographic to change as well. A majority of students registering for CPTC’s workforce training courses are ages 50 and older, and are typically long-term incumbent workers with much more significant needs, according to Linda Wight, occupational information specialist at CPTC. "If they did have postsecondary education, it was a long time ago," says Wight. "Their needs are also so much greater on a personal level." These needs include having to manage a loss of retirement savings, becoming a student again after a long absence from the classroom, and transitioning to a new career.

For adults who have been in the workforce for decades, the realization that their experience won’t help them find another job can be devastating. "They don't know how to get out of bed in the morning if they're not going to work," says Wight. "The need for increased crisis counseling is phenomenal."

CPTC, which was selected as a Demonstration College for the American Association of Community College's Plus 50 Initiative, begins with the individual's time frame and personal needs. Jodi Micona, also enrolled in the environmental science program, participated in the Great Strides course (which recently lost funding due to a shift of resources to financial aid) to increase her typing, math, and study skills before enrolling in the Brownfields course, an intensive 11-week program on toxic cleanup. "It greatly helped me in the Brownfields course, and also getting through life on a college campus."

New Training, New Jobs: Support at the Federal Level

The Departments of Education and Labor have created a web site to assist recently unemployed workers with funding for education.

Senator Bob Casey (D–PA) has introduced the Unemployment Tuition Assistance Program that would pay community colleges $1,000 per student for retraining laid-off workers.

The Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success (SECTORS) Act of 2009 would build on the strengths of industry and sector partnerships, such as those established by the Worker Retraining program in Washington, help fill skilled worker shortages, and save or grow industries.

CPTC continues to design and offer short-term courses that range from one day to three months so that adult learners are able to get back into the workplace and continue their education. CPTC also stays informed about workforce shifts; for example, in the construction arena, which has experienced dramatic job losses, union partners tell the program that opportunities for skill upgrades are still needed. Dean Edmonds notes, "We have a great deal of flexibility to deal with these kinds of changes."

Brandon Kintop, a military veteran who served in Iraq and has opted to study the residential construction program, is taking advantage of that flexibility to learn a range of skills. "It was surprising how many jobs come out of this. I thought it was just about building a house, but you learn how to build cabinets, which is a whole career right there."

In a Congressional address last February, President Obama called for all Americans to complete at least one year of postsecondary education. At CPTC, Brandon Kintop, Jodi Micona, and Craig Peters have answered the call. With sufficient funding, CPTC can provide these students and thousands of others with the tools to succeed.