An article written by Chris Chmura was recently published on evolllution.com. Read the full article here.
Now, perhaps more than ever, education providers of all types can reap the rewards of adjusting their curriculum and programs to the needs of their region’s fastest growing industries. Two trends have come together to provide a once-in-a-generation chance for institutions of higher learning, career and vocational schools, and workforce training centers to boost their market share and improve student outcomes.
First, the Great Recession has completely up-ended the status quo in the U.S. labor market. We have the largest number of unemployed and under-employed individuals in a generation, and there is a tremendous amount of training money available from Washington to help retrain these folks. From community colleges to career schools, from traditional four-year universities to workforce training centers, funding can be obtained if you can demonstrate that your program will result in a “positive student outcome.” In other words, you need to build a skill-set in your students that leads them to a job. However, many schools, colleges, and workforce training centers struggle to understand which fields are growing the fastest, which industries have the best long-term prospects, and what competencies are needed for today’s “in demand” occupations.