Transcript Transformation Agenda

Massachusetts Community Colleges &
Workforce Development
Transformation Agenda
COABE 2013
Unique Opportunities
“This grant is not about tinkering, it’s about
transformation. This is not about getting more
students to enroll, it’s about getting more students to
graduation day and into good jobs.”
- Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education
MCCWDTA – Dual Goals

Structural, systemic change:
◦ Redesign programs and services to accelerate
attainment of certificates, degrees and
employment for low-skilled, low-income unand under-employed MA residents

Student attainment and jobs:
◦ Enroll and track the progress of students
through certificate/degree attainment and jobs
Proposal Overview
 Budget FUNDED is $20,000,000 over three years to
support capacity-building, systemic changes
 Target population are unemployed and
underemployed adult workers
 Goal is to enroll 4,000 students and place 2,800 in
employment over three years (state-wide)
 15 colleges committed to statewide project with
local implementation
Who is Involved?
• MA DOL
– Career Services Office
– Local Workforce Invest Board (Bristol WIB)
• MA DESE
– ACLS(Adult and Community Learning Services)
– MA Higher Education
• MA Community Colleges
– Host the MCCWFDTA Website
• MA Industries and Business Associations
Complete list of all the partners:
http://www.masscc.org/partnerships-initiatives/ourpartners
Project Priorities
Priority #2:
Accelerate progress for lowskilled and other workers.
Improve retention and
achievement rates and/or
reduce time to completion of
industry recognized credentials,
certificates and degrees.
Priority #3:
Priority #4:
Build programs that meet
industry needs, including
developing career pathways.
Strengthen online and
technology-enabled learning.
Priority #1:
Target Industries
 Health Care
 Advanced Manufacturing
 Information Technologies
 Life Sciences & Biotechnology
 Clean/Sustainable Energy
 Financial Services & Entrepreneurship
What are We Doing?
• Statewide system integration- Community Colleges
and Career Centers, Community colleges with each
other
• Statewide contextualized curriculum
– Redesign adult basic education and developmental
education = College Readiness
– 6 Industry sectors as bases for contextualized
curriculum
• Local choice to meet local needs
Statewide Strategies
to be adapted and applied locally

Contextualized Adult Education and Developmental
Education Curriculum, developed with the help of
educational consultants, with involvement of staff/faculty
and workforce partners.

College and Career Navigators, to work with every
community college and its local One-Stop Career Centers
to recruit and support people enrolling in college
programs. Also to help college students enrolled in select
programs.

Industry-Informed Career Path Development, developed
through College/Industry teams.
How will We
Accomplish Priority 1 and 2?
•
•
•
•
Options and Flexibility in a supported
Environment
Contextualized Curriculum
Navigator case management
More communication about a student’s need
from ABE- College, non credit to credit and
from Career Center to College
Accelerated programs and “stackables”
Contextualizing Curriculum: One
Component of the Broad Agenda
 Why contextualized curriculum? To speed progress
at lower levels and improve motivation – learners see
how math/reading/writing skills relate to their future
employment goals
 Who is the curriculum for? Adults and Youth who lack
the basic math, science, reading and writing skills to
succeed in college-level programs.
Pilot- Spring 2013- January Training
Combined Effort- supported by the CAO and the State
College PD- The Lash Center For Teaching and Learning and
ABE PD- SABES (System for Adult Basic Educ. Support)
• Contextualized Curriculum Toolbox
• Reflective Practice Group, meet and blog
• Learning Community- Dev. Ed and CIS class
Pilot- Spring 2013- January Training
Modules@ Massachusetts
BCC, Worchester Adult learning Center
and Mt Wachusett CC
http://vimeo.com/57637157
College and Career Navigators are
a Critical Link
Career
Center
Services
College
Access and
Attainment
Career
Success and
credential
Navigating to What?
Any program,
Any college
• Navigators will help navigate to
BCC and then to any community
college that might best serve the
customer-credit and noncredit
MCCWDTA
programs, and
others
• Navigators will help to market the
MCCWDTA new and redesigned
programs, among other college
programs
• Design Articulation Agreements
Navigators
Supporting students through the waters of education
and the choppy waters of higher education and training
For the student:
• Liaison between the career center & college
• Liaison between internal departments & student
• Support system by phone, in-person, through email
• Career Counselor: internships, career readiness support and job
placement
For partners, college and community:
• Liaison between the career center and college departments
• Relationship with business to direct qualified applicants
Student Management
• Changing the definition of “term” and
”semester”
• Student Services Support: Enrollment, Financial
Aid, support services, counseling
• Credit and non credit working together
• Tracking employment outcomes
Accelerated Curriculum Examples
• Business Administration Transfer Fast Track-credit
–
–
–
–
–
Weekend program
One supported cohort
18 months to do a two year program
Developed for unemployed Career Center client
Had some remedial course and Developmental Education
course offered at the same time
– 8 out of the 10 enrolled will graduate in May, 1 student got
an office job before graduating
• Replicated this summer: Executive Office Fast Track
Don’t Forget Priorities 3 and 4
• Redesign and Design Programs with Industry
Input
• Local Needs and Where the Jobs Are
• Technology- Open Source and Enhancing
Online Capabilities
Animal Care Program
• Industry need that builds career pathways
• Industry Input: met with local businesses
– Listen to their needs for qualified employees
• Stackable Credentials:
– Pet First Aid
– Vet Office Skills
– Dual Enrollment: GED/ Vet Office Skills
– Animal Care Husbandry Technician
– Assoc. Applied Animal Care Science
– Course work to prepare for Vet Tech or Veterinarian
Technology
Computer Information Systems:
Virtual Learning: “virtualizing” most aspects of the computer
hardware and software courses in the program to correspond
with current industry standards.
• students are exposed to the advanced technology of
virtualization and cloud computing- more marketable skills
• retention has improved by allowing students to work on
assignments and lab activities whenever they have time – 24
hours per day.
Open Source Repository and Universal Design
Our BCC Charge!
1. To serve 600 or more students
2. To help at least 528 obtain a certificate and a job
3. To add new programs to meet area employers
needs
4. To develop a deeper more sensible
communication system of student and case
management counseling across all levels
5. To change the way Community College education
is delivered
Successes
• Getting more people to think about collaboration
• Improved cooperation between One-Stop Career
Centers
• 220 enrolled, 76 completed a credential & 38 got a job
• Bob• “He explained how he sent out over 25
resumes and had not had any success. Bob
was a non-traditional CNA graduate.”
• “Bob emailed me three days ago. He has a
new job – full time with good benefits.”
Challenges
• Systemic reform
– Treating non credit like credit
– Merging Data systems
– Tracking outcomes better especially employment
• Getting “buy in” from college faculty and staff
– Some disagreement on Mission of Community
Colleges – workforce vs. liberal arts
– “weakest link” and economic development
– Integrating Remedial Education into college
Value of educating the community
no matter where the student starts
Our Vision!
At BCC, The Transformation Agenda will create
Community College education that has flexibility,
acceleration and options in a supported
environment transforming learning into practice
and practice into career success!
MCCWFDTA-Transformation Agenda
Kristen McKenna Program Manager
Bristol Community College
[email protected]
or 508-678-2811 x3437
MCCWFDTA-Transformation Agenda
Jennifer Freeman Project Director
100 Cambridge St, Suite 1310
Boston MA, 02114
617-542-2911
http://www.masscc.org/