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With fall comes midterm exams and thinking about final projects which will need to be completed in the days ahead! It is hard to believe students are at the midway mark of the semester. It seems like fall classes just started but the holidays will be here before we know it. As you know, Kansas employers are desperate for well-trained employees in this extremely tight labor market. This is great for students who are looking for a new job.
We are seeing an increasing number of our students being hired directly out of our classrooms, as soon as they have a very basic skill level that the company needs to ensure the employee can perform core job functions. The significant workforce needs facing Kansas employers are leading to more students being served in shorter training programs. These programs may be customized training (which businesses work hand-in-hand with the community colleges to design). These customized training programs may or may not result in an industry-recognized credential, but that directly address businesses immediate needs. The Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) definitions would term students who do not complete a degree or certificate as a non-completer.
The businesses we work with in these programs do not use this term, but instead call these students their successful employees. A little known fact is that when you hear enrollment numbers announced by KBOR, NONE of the students we train through non-credit programs are counted and no state dollars are provided through KBOR to community colleges for this training. For example, Johnson County Community College serves roughly 25,000 students a year according to KBOR data but what is not reported is the approximately 16,000 students being served through business and industry training programs.
Please know that the strong Kansas job market is driving trends in how students enroll for credit, when they choose a shorter-term customized training, or when they may participate in on-the-job training. These three types of training completed by community colleges are funded differently and never counted in the statistics you may read about in the news. At the recent Joint Committee on Workforce Development Interim Committee this was the topic of testimony. Please click this link to learn more.
The bottom line? Kansas community colleges offer traditional academic courses but are not being constrained by the traditional academic model. Instead, we're working directly with the business community to meet their needs.
While a significant amount of training is occurring we know that the Kansas economy needs more. We know more nurses, nurse aids, EMTs, construction workers, welders, mental health aides, teachers, etc. and needed. We will continue to work with statewide industry associations and interested parties to develop new solutions to meet these significant needs. It's necessary to provide new and innovative pathways for training and education so our businesses have skilled employees who are taking advantage of the many critical need and high wage careers available within the state.
Partnerships with business and industry drive everything, are ever evolving, and each Kansas community college is focused on providing education and training to meet the needs of Kansas businesses and citizens, unconstrained by the historical educational delivery methods.
Thank you for your support and I look forward to talking with you soon about some exciting opportunities on the horizon for Kansas community colleges.
Heather Morgan
KACCT Executive Director
hmorgan@kacct.org
785-221-2828
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