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Home / Washington Business - November/December 2006 / Q&A with Charlie Earl: State community colleges are gearing up to train more adults |
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Q&A with Charlie Earl: State community colleges are gearing up to train more adults |
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Written On: November/December 2006 |
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Charlie Earl was appointed executive director of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges in February 2006. Prior to his appointment, Earl was president of Everett Community College for more than six years. As executive director of the State Board, Earl now serves on the governor’s executive cabinet and the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board. He was also appointed by the governor to the new Veterans Innovations Program board.
Q: Our state has 34 community and technical colleges. How many people do you serve, and is that satisfying the need?
A: Last year, we served 480,000 students. We need to educate more people to provide them with the skills and knowledge that are in demand by employers in a global economy.
Q: What do you see in Washington’s demographic trends that keeps you up at night?
A: Over the next two decades, fewer young adults will be entering the workforce and more older, well-educated adults will be leaving. This could create instability in our state’s economy. Community and technical colleges must improve educational attainment rates for both young people and working adults to help keep Washington competitive in a global economy.
Currently, 1.4 million working-age adults in Washington — one-third of today’s workforce — have no formal education beyond high school. This is equal to the sum of the next 10 years of high school graduating classes across the state. The race to be globally competitive will be lost if the state relies solely on recent high school graduates. Over the next 10 years, the largest and fastest-growing age group in the state’s population will be adults 25 to 35 years old. These adults will be in the workforce for the next 30 years, and too many are stuck in low-wage jobs.
Over the next 15 years, the increase in the number of people of color will nearly equal the increase in the white population. This growing diversity represents strength in a global economy, bringing a diversity of talents, creativity, values and languages to the state’s workforce. Community and technical colleges are the key to higher education access for people of color for English proficiency, job skills certificates, associate and bachelor’s degrees.
Q: Since reliable, skilled and trained workers are critical to our future growth and economic development, how are the community and technical colleges addressing those needs?
A: Two-year colleges are critical to producing workers for high-demand fields like nursing, manufacturing, construction and technology. Each year, our colleges are creating, expanding and closing programs to keep in line with those most in demand by employers. For example, we have nearly doubled the number of nurses trained at two-year colleges in the past decade. We are also working to recruit more young people into these high-demand fields. It’s no mystery that our economy suffers when a company can’t find the employees it needs to stay competitive.
We stay in tune with the needs of our state’s key industries with 11 Centers of Excellence located on two-year college campuses throughout the state. These centers serve as a hub for industry trends, best practices and innovative curriculum. They share their expertise with all 34 community and technical colleges statewide to assure all Washingtonians have local access to the most relevant education programs.
Employers have told us they need pathways for their employees in technical fields to earn bachelor’s degrees. To help fill skills gaps in targeted areas, new applied bachelor’s degree programs will start on four community college campuses next year.
Employers and students are usually impatient to finish training and start working. To help students speed up their timeline to getting a skilled job, we have launched new programs that pair English as a Second Language courses with job training. Students gain literacy and job skills at the same time.
With the help of the Legislature, a pilot project was created to provide substantial financial support for low-income adults to go to college and get job training. This program, called Opportunity Grants, covers more than just tuition. It may include books, childcare and even transportation. Research conducted by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges shows that one year of college-level courses, plus a credential, such as nursing, welding or drafting, represents an economic tipping point — the difference between struggling in a low-wage job and having a career that leads to a better life. Opportunity Grants are designed to help more students reach the tipping point and beyond.
Q: How many high school students go on to a two- or four-year college program?
A: Starting out from high school, an equal number — about 30 percent — of students go to two- and four-year colleges. However, within two years of high school graduation, an additional 18 percent of students come to community and technical colleges, either by delaying college until then or transferring from a four-year college. In our state, 14,000 students transfer from the community and technical colleges to universities each year, representing 41 percent of our state’s bachelor’s degrees.
Q: Is the community college role in remedial education increasing? If so, in what areas?
A: The number of students in remedial education is staying level. Our colleges are working closely with K-12 and four-year universities to reduce those numbers, and improve college and job readiness by high school students. The governor’s Washington Learns effort is further emphasizing the importance of college readiness, especially in math. We look forward to fewer students requiring remedial courses in the future.
Q: How is the system addressing distance and online learning to better accommodate student and employer needs?
A: Distance learning is growing at our colleges. It has more than doubling in the past five years and is now serving more than 80,000 students. Over three-fourths of all distance learning in higher education happens at the community and technical colleges, including 1,200 courses taught online. Some colleges offer entire associate degree programs online.
Online education is efficient for students and colleges. Working adults can take classes any time of the day or night, and colleges need fewer buildings to teach their classes.
Q: In the future, the Legislature is facing skyrocketing health care and pension costs, which are huge state budget drivers. Those costs impact the ability of the governor and lawmakers to fund higher education. Are there alternative funding sources such as higher tuitions, endowed faculty chairs, and foundation support? What are those sources and how do they relate?
A: The state continues to pay less and less of the share of higher education. Ten years ago, students paid 29 percent of the cost of their education. Today, they pay 37 percent. This erosion of state support of higher education contributes to pricing some lower income people out of college education. Higher education has always been — and must continue to be — an obligation of the state. There is some legislative interest in stemming this unfortunate trend by making community and technical college education part of constitutionally mandated basic education. This would be a clear demonstration of the state’s commitment to prosperity for all its residents.
Two-year colleges secure significant funds through grants and private fund raising. They also engage in dynamic local partnerships. In the long term, however, colleges can’t backfill the continued losses in state funding. The state receives a significant return on its investment by supporting higher education. We will be advocates for improving the state’s investment over the next several years.
Q: How will Gov. Gregoire’s Washington Learns recommendations impact the community and technical college system?
A: If there is success in early learning and K-12, then the community and technical colleges will be able to help students progress even further and faster. We are preparing to advance several themes in Washington Learns, including providing more people with the knowledge and skills that are in demand by our state’s economy.
Community and technical colleges can help the state meet the challenge for more graduates in the fields of math, science and technology. We must, because over half of our state’s new teachers and 41 percent of all bachelor’s degree recipients begin their higher education at two-year colleges. Community and technical colleges must expand their segment of the educational pipeline for increased training in math, science and engineering.
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