Education & Training for the "New Collar" Workforce

Goldey-Beacom College is creating new certificate and degree programs to meet employer needs

BY COLLEEN PERRY KEITH AND JOEL WORDEN

A RECENT ARTICLE in the Wall Street Journal—”Blue-Collar Workers Make the Leap to Tech Jobs, No College Degree Necessary”— discussed the talent transition that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic as employees shifted from blue collar into “new collar” roles. Many of these employees prepared themselves for new roles through specialized courses or training offered by non-college or university entities.

We who lead colleges and universities celebrate the trend toward lifelong learning but also must learn from the data we are seeing. If we are to remain relevant for the workforce education needs of today’s employers, we must differentiate for potential students and employers what a college degree can offer, and we must create additional options for students.

In many cases, specialized courses and training are skills-based and focused on equipping students narrowly and quickly. As the Wall Street Journal article shows, the marketplace needs this. However, the nature of a quick-hitting program is that students may scratch the surface of a topic without learning deeply and developing the understanding it takes to solve problems at a root level. Unfortunately, this takes time. They don’t call it the 10,000-minute rule. The value proposition that a college degree offers is the opportunity to take that time and grapple with subjects at a deep level, guided by experts in the field.

Nonetheless, it is also true that colleges and universities must adapt and create additional options, recognizing that students’ needs vary. Offering a range of learning opportunities has the best chance of empowering the most people with the benefits that college offers. Proudly, Goldey-Beacom’s roots are in workforce training, and we have leaned into our roots to re-envision education and training for the “new collar” workforce.

Working together to address a changing landscape, the faculty and administration at Goldey-Beacom College (GBC) have added new certificates and degree programs that directly address the workforce needs employers are telling us they see. New programs in Business Analytics and Interdisciplinary Studies will begin in fall 2022, a concentration in Supply Chain and Logistics is being developed, as is a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Marketing Management and a Master of Science in Marketing/Marketing Analytics. The latter two will be STEM-eligible and brought to the marketplace within a year. We are also offering a STEM-eligible MBA.

Additionally, several undergraduate and graduate certificates are in various stages of the approval process: Human Resource Management, Entrepreneurship, Human Services, Health Care Management, Marketing and soon, Supply Chain and Logistics. The addition of these certificates has led to the creation of some market-driven courses such as Customer Analytics, Advanced Customer Analytics, and Leading Business with Morals and Ethics.

At Goldey-Beacom College, we have always taken the time to blend technical skills, theoretical knowledge, and interpersonal connection to ready students for success in the workplace. Students who choose GBC stand to not only be better prepared upon completion of their certificate or degree, but they will also earn more over their careers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, an earned bachelor’s degree means about $27,000 more per year than an earned high school diploma. Across a 40-year career, that’s a significant difference! At GBC, with our new certificate offerings, students can earn a certificate with just a few courses, enter the workforce, and then return to earn a bachelor’s degree when they are ready. The depth of understanding, skills, and emotional intelligence gained will empower them for both the present and the future.

Colleen Perry Keith, Ph.D. is president of Goldey- Beacom College.

Joel Worden, Ph.D. is assistant vice president of academic affairs and associate provost for academic programs at GBC.