Workforce Development Seminar
Education for Employment: Covering Workforce Development
With growing labor shortages, shaken confidence in the four-year degree and rapidly changing technology rattling the job market, workforce readiness has become a major focus of postsecondary education. The learning landscape after high school is shifting, with an expansion of short-term job training programs, a focus on ensuring credentials are stackable and more apprenticeships giving students opportunities to simultaneously learn and earn.
What do reporters need to know about the education, training and strategies that institutions — particularly community colleges, which lead much of this work — are pursuing to prepare students for the workforce? How can journalists investigate the efficacy of these programs and whether they offer pathways to economic opportunity?
Dive into the latest research, policies and programs around career education at the Education Writers Association’s Workforce Development Seminar. The new conference will take place on Nov. 17 at Lorain County Community College in Ohio. The college, located outside of Cleveland, has been recognized for its efforts in connecting students to in-demand careers and boosting the local economy. It offers a setting for reporters to thoughtfully explore the types of programs and supports that help students successfully transition into the workforce.
Programming will include sessions on various topics, including:
- How community colleges can drive economic mobility and what skills and support students need to land jobs with good wages and pursue meaningful careers
- The latest developments with short-term and alternative credentialing, including the implementation of Workforce Pell
- Efforts to reduce the time and cost of earning a degree, such as dual enrollment, community college baccalaureate programs and apprenticeship degrees
- Key policy initiatives at the state and federal levels shaping workforce development
The seminar will highlight the work of journalists, subject-matter experts and college administrators to equip attendees with knowledge, sources and story ideas to cover postsecondary education’s role in workforce development.
Photo credit: l i g h t p o e t/Bigstock
EWA is grateful to Ascendium Education Group for providing the major funding that made this seminar possible. We are also grateful to Lorain County Community College for its generosity in hosting the conference and to the Lorain County Community College Foundation for providing a sponsorship in support of the seminar.
EWA retains editorial control over all programming.
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Tentative Agenda
- Beth Francesco, Education Writers Association
- Cory Stine, Lorain County Community College
As postsecondary education increasingly focuses on career readiness, reporters must hold institutions accountable for student outcomes beyond the classroom. Are students landing good jobs after receiving their credentials? Can they climb the economic ladder? Community college administrators and a researcher discuss approaches that drive economic mobility, sharing insights from programs and strategies that have successfully propelled students toward meaningful careers with self-sustaining wages and opportunities for growth.
- Amanda Abens, Pima Community College (Arizona)
- Veronica Minaya, Community College Research Center
- Cory Stine, Lorain County Community College
Education and workforce systems in the U.S. have long operated separately from one another. They are overseen by different agencies, have different funding streams and often are working toward different goals. But leaders across public policy, higher education, industry and government are working to align the two spheres to better prepare students for the workforce and meet employers’ needs. Panelists break down the federal and state policy landscape to help reporters understand what’s changing and the impact on postsecondary institutions.
- Nick Beadle, JOBS THAT WORK
- Lindsey Reichlin Cruse, National Skills Coalition
- Shalin Jyotishi, New America
- Paul Fain, Work Shift (moderator)
For every three students enrolled in credit-bearing courses at two-year colleges, two are enrolled in noncredit courses, often focused on acquiring specific skills. Yet on many campuses, the two systems are siloed, with few students moving between them. Could Workforce Pell lead to better alignment? Two researchers and a workforce development strategist unpack the fragmented credential landscape, explain what “stacking” is and offer tips and tools for evaluating the quality of programs in your community.
- Peter Bahr, Strada Education Foundation
- Rachel Kahn, Education Design Lab
- Michelle Van Noy, Rutgers University
- Amy Morona, Signal Ohio (moderator)
Fed up with rising college costs and skeptical about the return on a degree, many students, parents and policymakers are calling for more hands-on job training and shorter, cheaper pathways into the workforce. In response, colleges are expanding apprenticeships and community college baccalaureate programs while creating more opportunities for high school students to earn college credit. Learn about the promise of these approaches and the forces holding them back, and get practical tips for coverage.
- John Colborn, Apprenticeships for America
- Angel Royal, American Association of Community Colleges
- Kristina Whalen, Foothill College (California)
- Miranda Dunlap, Wisconsin Watch (moderator)
More students are turning to short-term certificate programs to quickly gain skills needed for jobs in specific industries and fields. But the earnings outcomes for these programs can vary dramatically, leading some participants to lucrative jobs and others no better off. Learn about a new tool to analyze earnings data for different types of certificate programs across the country and how they compare to the median earnings of high school graduates. Get a guided demonstration of the tool, and learn how it can be used for reporting.
- Kayleigh Skinner, Open Campus
During a tour of Lorain County Community College, reporters stop at numerous centers on campus to see community and economic development in action. Learn about a bachelor of applied science in microelectronic manufacturing along with the regional business incubator and innovation hub. Explore how the college’s digital and additive manufacturing labs and collaboration spaces foster innovation and industry partnerships.
