From the Director
Craig McAtee, NCATC CEO and Executive Director
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NCATC Friends and Colleagues,
Competencies / Skills: The Critical Common Language for Industry and Education
We are no longer preparing for the future of work in this country: the future of work is here (CORD). The pandemic and ensuing devastating job loss have accelerated an already rising need for a flexible workforce—one where all workers can reskill in preparation for future employment and employers can upskill their workforce quickly, efficiently, and equitably.
The growing interest in skills-based hiring (Diplomatic Courier) advances the notion of “skills-based mobility” (Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland) for America’s workforce. How do we make this happen? A crucial first step is to create a common language among employers, educators, and learners. Competencies are that common language.
The growing interest in competency-based education (CBE) has given rise to multiple and occasionally confusing uses of the words “competency” and “skill.” We use these two terms interchangeably to describe what a person can do (applied) and what they know.
Competencies offer a bridge between academia (where “knowing” is usually prioritized and learning is typically abstract and siloed by discipline) and the workplace (where “doing” is usually prioritized and applied learning is typically contextualized, integrated, and purpose-driven).
But a competency on its own is not enough. In our experience working with both employers and education providers, we have found that an essential component of a competency-based approach is the development and use of a competency framework. More than a list of relevant competencies, the framework delineates a coherent set of interrelated competencies. It can therefore serve as the blueprint for an educational or training program as well as for performance-based assessment on the job.
It is also a crucial mechanism that enables educational institutions and employers to communicate about the Knowledge necessary, essential Skills, and Abilities (KSA) for a specific occupation or cluster of occupations. The NSF-funded BILT Model is one of the best practices in the nation for achieving employer-driven education and workforce development outcomes that matter.
On the supply side, many current Gen Z high schoolers don't see college through the same rose-colored glasses as prior generations. Four national surveys of 4,255 students between February 2020 and September 2021 by Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC) and VICE Media found fewer than half (48 percent) are considering a four-year college. That's down 23 percentage points from a high of 72 percent in May 2020. Nearly one-third prefer several one-year-or-less educational experiences to a four-year experience.
On the demand side, many employers no longer use a college degree as the gatekeeper credential for jobs. Google, IBM, Apple, and Bank of America have shifted from degree-based to skill-based hiring, which evaluates a person's job readiness by their capabilities and competencies and then matches them to a job. This expands the labor pool, especially of minorities, since the degree hiring bias eliminates 79 percent of Latinos, 68 percent of African Americans, 73 percent of rural residents, and 66 percent of veterans who otherwise would qualify for jobs based on their skills (Opportunity at Work).
The supply and demand are disconnected. Employers have inflated the value of college degrees by requiring them for jobs that don't need them. For example, only 16 percent of production supervisors in 2015 had degrees. Today, 67 percent (Inc.) of those job postings require a degree, even though skill requirements haven't changed.
American society needs a radical move away from 4-year college credentialism. So it’s a very promising sign that Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has announced (Maryland.gov) that thousands of Maryland state government jobs no longer will require a four-year college degree.
As an alternative qualification, Maryland will seek out “STARs” (Skilled Through Alternative Routes)—those who are “age 25 or older, active in the labor force, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and have developed their skills through alternative routes such as community college, apprenticeships, military service, boot camps, and most commonly, on-the-job.”
BIG ON INCLUSION – Not surprisingly, the STARs categorization is likely to give its greatest opportunity boost to Black people, Latinos, immigrants, and veterans. This will make for a fairer country, but without dragging down those who have achieved their stations through merit. Keep in mind that about two-thirds (Washington Post) of Americans do not have a four-year college degree, so this reform also could make government more representative and less prone to mistrust and resentment.
BIG ON EQUITY – This agenda doesn't abandon the college degree option but has a broader understanding of opportunity and fosters opportunity pluralism, offering multiple pathways to jobs and careers that link education, training, and credential-earning to the labor market.
You can find a surplus of best practices for similar 21st-century programs, ideas, and initiatives at the 2022 NCATC Annual Fall Conference in Concord / Kannapolis, NC, hosted by Rowan-Cabarrus Community College on September 21–23. This marks our return after a full three (3) years due to the pandemic measures of caution, and we promise it will be worth the wait! Find all the information and registration links HERE.
And, we will continue our 2022 Strategic Partner and Government Relations Webinar Series focused on Future of Work: Industry 4.0, Work-Base Learning, ADEI and CTE/WDF Policies in partnership with AACC, Universal Robots, New Scale Robotics, MSSC/Amatrol, Core Learning Exchange, and Festo Didactic in 2022. Plus, you can find all the past webinar recordings on the NCATC website here.
NEW – On March 31st NCATC is launching a NEW Quarterly Member Drop-In that will focus on one of the 4 Strategic Focus Areas or Pillars each quarter. Our very first Member Drop-In will focus on NCATC Pillar 4: Access, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Recruiting and Retention for Workforce Development Programs – Best Practices and Gaps. REGISTER HERE.
And as always, we encourage you to stay regularly connected and up to date on all ATC, WFD, and CTE related activities and guidance via the weekly updated NCATC website, social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.), and quarterly e-newsletters like this one.
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President's Message
Amanda Sizemore, 2022 NCATC President
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On behalf of the Board of Directors and our over 170 community and technical college members from 34 states and 45 corporate strategic partners from across the country, I am pleased to welcome you to the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers (NCATC).
It is a true honor and pleasure to serve as president this year. However, we continue to face significant challenges as we emerge from the impact of COVID-19, not only on the communities and people we serve but the country as a whole. This is emphasized in the December 2021 National Skills Coalition report Building State Career Pathway Systems: A Toolkit for State Policymakers, Human Service Agency Leaders, Community Colleges, and Partners, which calls for crafting career pathway systems that can support inclusive economic recovery. This effort is complemented by the work of the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD) on projects such as Pathways to Credentials and Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work (cord.org).
As community colleges and educational strategies continue to evolve, we believe your affiliation with NCATC is more critical than ever. Collaborations with our member schools and colleges and strategic partners and engagement with key organizations will help guide this transformational process. This is reinforced by NCATC’s continued commitment to the strategic focus areas of Industry 4.0: Emerging Trends in Advanced Technology and Smart Manufacturing; Apprenticeships, Work-Based Learning, and Entrepreneurship in Workforce Development; Competency-Based Learning in Workforce Development; Industry-Recognized Credentials and Certifications; and Adult Education and Learning Opportunities.
Tasked with the daunting challenge of helping my community college with this transformational process, I value the partnerships, expertise, and knowledge NCATC has harnessed for our member network as we continue to navigate this ever-evolving process. I look forward to connecting with you either virtually in our NEW Quarterly Member Drop-Ins via Zoom or face-to-face later this year at our 2022 Fall Conference, Moving Forward: Leveraging Technology, Collaboration, and Inclusion, in North Carolina hosted by Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.
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REGISTRATION IS OPEN NOW!
Our first face-to-face event – after the pandemic hiatus – since 2019
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With input from many of our Members and Strategic Partners during the “pandemic pause” – NCATC has reengineered many of the aspects of our in-person conference to be even more immersive than before. Key focus areas at the 2022 Fall Conference center around NCATC’s 4 Pillars:
- Future of Work: Industry 4.0/x.0
- Work-Based Learning / Apprenticeships
- Competency-Based Education with Industry-Recognized Credentials
- DEI and Adult Education
We look forward to seeing you there!
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In This Issue
- Scholarships for Short-Term Noncredit Workforce Training Increase Access to High-Demand Skills
- Traveling with Portable Suitcase Learning Systems
- You Don’t Know Until You Try
- Making the Case for a Cross-Disciplinary STEM Core
- Research from Rutgers EERC
- NEW - NCATC Member Drop-Ins
- Welcome, New Members
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Scholarships for Short-Term Noncredit Workforce Training Increase Access to High-Demand Skills |
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It’s no secret that industries ranging from manufacturing to healthcare and from cyber-physical security to logistics are clamoring for brainpower to fill jobs requiring highly specialized skills. Traditional pathways to these careers can take time that neither workers nor demanding industries can afford. Add in the expense of training and workers are often left out of pathways that could lead to meaningful careers and sustainable income.
Although short-term, certification-based workforce training is the likely path to success, funds to support these programs have usually been few and far between. This has created problems not only for low- and middle-income students but for the employers who have wanted to hire them.
At Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in North Carolina, a group of 30 courses that are 9 weeks in length or less and result in an industry-recognized certification or license can now be fully funded with scholarships that are interest-based (not needs-based). These scholarships come from a variety of sources, including a recurring state allocation; county funds that sponsor residents to pursue high-demand, high-wage jobs; employer fees; and funds donated to our foundation. The funds cover not only tuition but certification costs, course materials, and materials costs—meaning no cost to students.
“Increasing access and diversity in our programs that support growing industries means we have to remove the barriers to participation,” said Rowan-Cabarrus Vice President Craig Lamb. “These funds can be approved in a matter of hours or days, not weeks.”
While the scholarships are available to all ages, they are particularly popular with career-changing adults. The programs also include job placement assistance, so students move from classwork to employment immediately. (See student Anthony Mack’s story here.)
Specially focused recruiters work in communities of color and among other underrepresented groups to spread the word and assist individuals in navigating the processes. “This project is not just about funding but also helping people find their way and to keep their plan moving forward. The foresight of our investors to step up and play their part in keeping our workforce technologically competitive and representative of the communities we serve is remarkable,” Lamb added.
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Traveling with Portable Suitcase Learning Systems
Aims Community College Delivers Hands-on Competency-Based Industrial Technology Training On-Site for Industry Partners
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Aims Community College’s Center for Workforce Development and Innovation, through an inventory of 35 Amatrol portable industry technology training units (affectionately called “suitcase trainers,” each weighing 60–80 lbs.), delivers customized, on-site, competency-based corporate training for industry partners. The center owns five Amatrol portable learning systems in seven in-demand advanced technology topics:
- AC/DC electrical
- Basic hydraulics
- Mechanical drives
- Precision gauging system
- Pneumatics troubleshooting
- Electric motor control
- Programmable logic controller (PLC) troubleshooting
With the Amatrol portable training units, this on-site training builds real-world, hands-on industrial equipment competencies; enables skill mastery demonstrations on industrial applications; and is supported by a supplemental e-learning menu of interactive, skill-based learning. Each course is customized to the industry’s specific equipment, manufacturing processes, and skill levels of employees.
The Workforce Development unit is currently providing a series of customized training courses using their inventory of Amatrol portable training units for Cardinal CG Company in Loveland, Colorado. Cardinal CG Company is a subsidiary of Cardinal Glass Industries, an industry leader in the design and fabrication of residential glass for windows and doors that has grown to more than 7000 employees located at 37 manufacturing locations around the U.S. The Loveland, Colorado, subsidiary is a coated glass plant.
Aims Workforce Development is delivering hands-on competency-based training at Cardinal CG Company for 42 incumbent workers in electric motor control, basic hydraulics, mechanical drives, pneumatics troubleshooting, and PLC troubleshooting.
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You Don’t Know Until You Try
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Egyptian by birth, Mohamed Ali Baroma stepped away from all things familiar when he moved to St. Louis with his wife. His electronic engineering degree from Egypt did not transfer.
Mohamed noticed an ad for the Missouri Manufacturing Technician program at St. Louis Community College (STLCC). He did not take any action that day, or for several months, but he held on to the ad and considered the opportunity.
While working full-time as a telephone technician, he applied to the program and was accepted. He juggled work, life, and education, getting a refresher on some of the information he had learned in his previous education and learning so much more while earning OSHA 10, MSSC CPT Safety, and MSSC CPT Quality certifications.
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Mohamed resigned from his steady job as a telephone technician to pursue his newfound passion for manufacturing. Through a job fair at STLCC, Mohamed secured a position as a senior assembler with bioMérieux, Inc., a multinational biotechnology company.
Mohamed’s work at bioMérieux provides security for his family and an outlet for him to do what he loves. “I found that I really enjoy building things. I didn't know that before.” Mohamed’s work ethic and attention to detail enabled him to build trust with his supervisors. Just eight months after starting his new job at bioMérieux, he was promoted to a role inspecting and finishing work in assembly.
He believes everything in his life now really depended on that decision to pursue more in his education. “You don't know until you try,” he says.
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Making the Case for a Cross-Disciplinary STEM Core
Hope Cotner, President and CEO, CORD; Co-PI, Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work
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The nature of work is evolving right before our eyes. Technology advancements are transforming existing industries and creating new ones at an unprecedented pace. The World Economic Forum predicts significant disruption in the jobs landscape over the next four years. As many as 85 million current job roles may be displaced while more than 97 million new roles could emerge. Many of those roles will be enhanced by technologies that can collaborate with humans to enrich lives and workplaces in what the National Science Foundation (NSF) describes as the “future of work at the human-technology frontier.” Our challenge as educators is ensuring future technicians acquire the expanding skill sets necessary for success in a rapidly changing environment.
Through the NSF-ATE supported initiative Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work, staff at the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD) have led a series of research activities designed to identify the knowledge and skills that will be essential for future STEM technicians. This work has resulted in the Framework for a Cross-Disciplinary STEM Core, a set of recommendations for technician education that incorporate knowledge and skills from Advanced Digital Literacy, Data Knowledge and Analysis, and Business Knowledge and Processes into technician preparation programs. These core content areas are essential to future success in STEM fields because they transcend narrow job specialization and enable technicians to adapt to a complex employment environment. Topics within these areas have been prioritized by educators and industry leaders.
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The Framework offers practical recommendations for implementation, with regional customization, by any community college technical program. Steps toward adoption of the Framework include:
- Empowering technician educators to integrate multiple disciplines into existing programs and develop new programs that support emerging disciplines and occupations.
- Convening stakeholders across sectors to collaborate with educators on talent development approaches that make sense locally yet prepare learners for the global economy.
- Discussing with employers the effects of automation and artificial intelligence on their workforce and how you can support their reskilling efforts.
Download the Framework today and discover ways you can advocate for adoption of the Cross-Disciplinary STEM Core in your community.
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Research from Rutgers EERC |
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How do you use labor market information to improve programs? |
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The Rutgers Education and Employment Research Center (EERC) is conducting a Lumina-funded research project on how colleges and universities use labor market information. The project looks at a range of labor market information, including traditional data sources and “real-time jobs” data. This project seeks to understand the many ways that these data are used in educational institutions – from planning for programs and curriculum to advising current and potential students. EERC is currently seeking individuals from colleges and universities interested in completing a short (10-minute) survey to share how they use labor market data. Please click on this link to take the survey: lmisurvey.com. And please share with others! Help contribute to our understanding of how these data are used across the country and add to the national discussion on how institutions can better understand the labor market and promote students’ career success.
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Issue Brief on Community College Noncredit Workforce Education |
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The EERC just released a new issue brief documenting trends in community college noncredit workforce education. It examines the focus of noncredit programs, their organization within colleges, the structure of programs, and approaches to quality in programs. Authors Michelle Van Noy (photo) and Katherine Hughes are pleased to share this Lumina-funded research and are currently conducting more in-depth research on noncredit programs and students to be released later this year.
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NCATC is launching a NEW Quarterly Member Drop-In that will focus on one of the 4 Strategic Focus Areas or Pillars.
Our very first Member Drop-In will focus on NCATC Pillar 4: Access, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Recruiting and Retention for Workforce Development Programs – Best Practices and Gaps.
Our time together will be facilitated by three NCATC Board Directors getting the conversation started by briefly highlighting each of their best practices articles in this issue of the NCATC newsletter.
Then, at least 30 minutes will be peer-to-peer, free-flowing conversation—sharing, listening, learning, asking questions, and building a stronger community around this focus area. Bring your “What I Have” and/or “What I Need” mindset to share.
The goal will be to sustain the problem-solving ideas, relationships built, and conversations beyond our 60-minutes together during the Member Drop-In.
Please join us on Thursday, March 31, 2022 @ 2:00pm ET for our very first NCATC Member Drop-In!
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New Education Members (since January 1, 2022)
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