Schools, state work together to connect

residents with future

by Nancy Hogland

Statistics show that even during the recent economic recession, middle-skill occupations, occupations that require some education beyond high school but less than a bachelor’s degree, can offer better job security and stability than low-skill occupations and even some professions that require four-year or graduate degrees.
In fact, according to statistics from the Missouri Economic and Research and Information Center (MERIC), workers in those fields have experienced job losses at half the pace of both degreed and unskilled positions. In addition, although the pace has slowed from last year, projections show that the need for workers with either Associate Degrees or vocational training will actually increase over the coming years. MERIC stats show that already, more than 44 percent of all jobs fall into this category statewide.

To meet the increasing need for training, in mid December Gov. Jay Nixon launched “Training for Tomorrow,” a $12 million initiative to help Missouri community colleges create or expand training programs to serve additional students and provide them with training needed for these growing industries.

“Earlier this fall, I toured many of Missouri’s community colleges to hear directly about the needs of workers and businesses in their areas,” Gov. Nixon said during a visit to Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield. “In those conversations, it became clear that to turn this economy around, more Missourians need access to training programs in high-tech, high-demand fields. Especially in growing industries like health care, technical training beyond high school is absolutely vital, but many of our community colleges simply don’t have the equipment, instructors or resources to meet the needs of Missouri’s workers. ‘Training for Tomorrow’ will expand these programs quickly and help get Missourians ready to work as soon as possible.”

Under the program, member institutions of the Missouri Community College Association will partner with the government of the county in which they are located to apply for grant dollars to develop or expand programs. Occupations specifically targeted by these funds could include veterinary and pharmacy technicians, nursing aides or skilled craftsmen.

According to the governor’s office, community colleges applying for the grants will be required to provide a detailed description of the programs they plan to develop or expand, including:

• Outlining the specific actions they will take to expand the capacity of high-demand programs;
• Detailing the market demand for the programs, both by students and employers;
• Identifying partners from business and industry who can help design the programs;
• Aligning the expansion of these programs with local economic-recovery efforts;
• Showing that the expansion will create or add pathways to specific high-demand careers in the local market; and
• Drafting an implementation plan for the programs.

The Missouri Department of Economic Development will administer the program and will review and evaluate the applications and recommend awards. Funding will come from the Second Supplemental Disaster Recovery Community Development Block Grant, a federal program to assist with economic recovery efforts and can be used to cover all costs related to developing or expanding high-demand programs, but cannot be used to replace existing salaries, pay for existing overhead costs or cover “bricks-and-mortar” projects.

According to projections by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the top 10 fastest growing occupations requiring less than a four-year degree will be in the areas of health care. Personal and home health care aides; medical, dental and physical therapy assistants and pharmacist technicians are included in that group. The state of Missouri estimates that some 18,000 registered nurses will be needed in coming years.

Dana M. Kelchner, director of Marketing and Communications for State Fair Community College, said the school has been receiving numerous requests for information about two-year programs and in fact, expanded its pharmacy tech program to meet the growing number of students requesting that training.

Dr. Gail White, director of the Lake Career and Technical Center in Camdenton, which offers 13 different programs including Health Sciences, Automotive Technology, Collision Repair, Photography and Welding, said staff members are currently in the process of following up with recent graduates to determine how many found jobs in their fields and to learn if training received at the center was adequate to do those jobs or if different or additional training would have been beneficial.

She said the survey will also tabulate the number of students that decided to continue their education as well as the number that chose to join the military. Once the 200-plus-member graduating class has been surveyed, the information will be turned over to the school’s advisory board to see if adjustments need to be made in the curriculum.

“Our Health Sciences program has always been very popular but we just learned that (Lake Regional) hospital is now requiring CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) credentials for anyone working on the floor. We just started offering that program last year so we expect that enrollment is going to grow for future classes,” White said.
The Lake Campus of Columbia College offers an Associate in Science in Nursing degree that, according to Lori Henley, the program’s administrative assistant, has been very popular.

“The program is very competitive and students must meet certain criteria for admission. We select the best of 32 of the 50 applications we typically receive,” she said, adding that the school just made it a little easier for students to determine if they were making the right career choice. “In August we began requiring Introduction to Nursing, a six-hour class that teaches blood pressure, bed baths, basic nursing care – those types of things. It gives students the opportunity to decide if nursing really is for them but it also frees up instructors to move into more advanced areas immediately rather than having to teach the basics.”

And while nursing students must have knowledge of intermediate algebra, anatomy, science and chemistry, because the Columbia College nursing program is 14 months long, prospective students could take the needed college-level courses and still obtain a degree in three years or less.

Baker said the Lake campus of SSCC also offers two-year degrees including Child Care and Development, where wage and salary jobs in the childcare industry are projected to grow 43 percent over the next seven years. The college also offers one-year professional certification in different fields designed to get students into the work force quickly. Most certificates can be applied toward the associate of applied science degree if students decide to continue after completion of a certificate program.

Not only are all three of the schools’ programs eligible for Pell Grants and financial aid, students could also qualify to receive assistance from the more than $3 million made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. That funding was provided to Career Centers, including those in Eldon, Camdenton and Versailles, to provide schooling and job training for displaced and laid-off workers.

Application materials for community colleges and county governments are available online by visiting the state’s Web portal, www.mo.gov, and searching for Training for Tomorrow. Completed applications are due Feb. 15, 2010.

For more information on Stimulus money for schooling, visit or call one of the Lake area Career Centers. A list of State Fair’s programs can be found at www.sfccmo.edu. Columbia College provides information about its programs at http://www.ccis.edu/nationwide/main.asp?LakeOzark. More about the Lake Career and Technical Center can be found at www.camdentonschools.org.

A seven-year projection of “hot jobs” in the state is listed on www.missouriconnections.org, a resource Sponsored by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The DESE also has a website with additional information at www.dese.mo.gov.