5 minute read
Delaware County Community College
44 v——Fall/Winter 2021• Volume 7——v |CONNECTIONS| Seismic changes in higher education are occurring as universities and colleges rethink how best to serve students recovering from the personal, economic and social aftershocks of the coronavirus pandemic. One area of higher education that is increasingly drawing attention is Continuing Education — generally speaking, shorter-term educational or training programs, often taken by adults, to learn additional or complementary workplace skills or credentials for career preparation and advancement. Even before the pandemic, many people were reconsidering the traditional four-year college route to a career in part because of the exorbitant cost of many colleges and universities. Now, many people are finding continuing education to be a less expensive, shorter-term, alternative that can quickly lead to family-sustaining-wage careers. For decades, Delaware County Community College has offered quality, affordable, accessible workforce programs to residents of Chester and Delaware Counties. Courses range from nurse aide, welding and information technology to early childhood education, medical coding and art. Courses are taught in person at one of the College’s seven locations in Chester and Delaware Counties, virtually or Delaware County Community College: Rethinking higher education in the wake of the pandemic through hybrid class formats that combine in-person and virtual instruction. At its Pennocks Bridge Campus, in the Chester County Technical College High School in West Grove, the college offers courses in early childhood education, information technology, as well as science courses that can help fulfill requirements in a variety of allied health career programs. Many economists say that the traditional fouryear-college-to-career route is not necessarily for everyone. “The truth is that many Americans don’t need a traditional four-year college degree to enjoy a prosperous life,” said Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia president and CEO Patrick Harker during a May 2021 virtual symposium on higher education, financial viability and the impact of the pandemic. “What they need are the skills that will propel them into middleclass jobs. For my dad, my uncles, and my brother, that was pipefitting. And for many, that’s still a great option. For others, it will be something else. Many skills today are gained through a variety of short-term Delaware County Community College’s Pennocks Bridge Campus located in the Chester County Technical College High School in West Grove.The Progression of Change in Adult and Continuing Education • The Progression of Change in Adult and Continuing Education
programs that do not lead to degrees but can provide marketable new skills. These courses can be as short as two months, and workers — many of whom are in their mid-career and are looking to retool, stand to benefit.”
Although Continuing Education options have existed for decades, they are gaining more traction today as unusual trends are surfacing in the U.S. job market due to COVID-19 and other factors. In July, U.S. unemployment declined to 5.4 percent, still above pre-pandemic levels; at the same time, job openings reached a record high of 10.1 million, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, calls this unusual circumstance of so many fewer people working amid so many available job openings the “Alice-in-Wonderland” job market. In a recent column in The New York Times, Zandi attributed this to many aging baby boomers having permanently left the job market during the pandemic, the rapid reopening of the economy earlier this year as vaccinations became widely distributed, and the almost 6 million parents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, who had to stay home to take care of children going to school online.
But there is a silver lining: fewer baby boomers in the job market means more jobs for younger adults; the continued U.S. economic recovery is providing more and better career options for those seeking work; and schools are again opening for in-person instruction, freeing parents to return to work. As the nation rebounds, it is critically important that higher education institutions like Delaware County Community College provide a full range of options that meet the needs of residents and employers.
“Perhaps you are an adult student who wants or needs to re-skill and train for an exciting new career. Wherever you are in your journey, we are here to help you achieve your goals,” said Delaware County Community College president Dr. L. Joy Gates Black.
Continued on Page 46
Two relatively new Continuing Education options offered by the college are its Spanish for the Professions certificate courses. These online courses were made possible through a federal grant designed to expand access to Spanish language and cultural education and to enhance employment options for students in professional fields with demand for workers with Spanish language and Spanish cultural knowledge. With the federal grant, the College created Open Educational Resources (OER) for introductory and intermediate Spanish courses and the new certificates in Spanish for the Professions. The OER eliminates textbook costs for students.
“Studies have shown that students who begin a course without a textbook are more likely to withdraw from or fail the course,” said Dr. Terri Amlong, the College’s Dean of Communication, Arts and Humanities and the project director for the grant. “OER course materials are free and available to the students from the first day of class, so students save money and increase their chances of succeeding.”
The Spanish language certificates, which can be earned simultaneously with an associate degree, give students in a variety of professional fields access to marketable skills at a time when many employers are looking for bilingual candidates or those with a basic understanding of Spanish. Spanish for the Professions 1 is designed for people interested in acquiring basic Spanish language skills. Spanish for the Professions 2 is for students interested in acquiring Spanish language skills to communicate at an intermediate level in professional Spanish. Both can be used as supplementary preparation for paralegal, early childhood education, business and many other careers. To learn more about the College’s Spanish for the Professions certificates, see dccc.edu/spanish-certificates or call 610-359-5391.
In addition, students in select certificate programs who plan to advance directly into the workforce following graduation may qualify for tuition assistance ranging from $500 to $5,000 through the College’s Kelleher Connect Career Opportunity Fund. For more information, visit dccc. edu/Kelleher.
“At Delaware County Community College, we are futurefocused and ready to assist students as we all move beyond the pandemic,” said Dr. Gates Black.
