A handful of colleges think they’ve found the secret to closing the gap between the types of graduates they’re turning out and the types employers say they need. Spiders. Not the hairy, creepy kind. The colleges are using artificial-intelligence spiders that crawl through search engines and read thousands of online “help wanted” ads to check … Continue reading
Tagged with workforce development …
Addressing Workforce Challenges
Everyone wants to be innovative, though few people actually achieve innovation. Frankly, in today’s world of higher education, few institutions are capable of flexibility, much less innovation. The juxtaposition is that our “customers” — the companies which hire our students — are constantly innovating. That is particularly true for companies involved in manufacturing, in which … Continue reading
Shoring up The Gap Between Workers, Available Jobs
When it comes to bridging the gap between available workers and available jobs, one thing is certain: it’s complicated. “What the problem is depends on who you ask,” said Ray Suarez, a senior correspondent at PBS who moderated a panel on Wednesday that kicked off an afternoon of roundtables that included leaders from community colleges, … Continue reading
Automotive Programs Need to Respond to Industry Changes
Community colleges need to retool their automotive programs to adapt to a changing industry that needs fewer workers with more advanced skills, according to an auto industry researcher. The U.S. auto industry is not only back, but productivity is continuing to increase and both General Motors and Ford are again profitable, said Kristin Dziczek, director of … Continue reading
AACC Begins Work to Implement 21st-Century Blueprint
With its recommendations on setting a new course for community colleges for the next decade on the table, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) has started work on developing strategies to implement those plans, beginning with workforce development. AACC last week convened community college leaders from across the country to discuss workforce development and the implications … Continue reading
President Obama to Announce Launch of Skills for America’s Future
WASHINGTON — Today at a meeting of the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board (PERAB), President Obama will announce the launch of Skills for America’s Future, a new, industry-led initiative to dramatically improve industry partnerships with community colleges and build a nation-wide network to maximize workforce development strategies, job training programs, and job placement.
President Obama said, “We want to make it easier to join students looking for jobs with businesses looking to hire. We want to put community colleges and employers together to create programs that match curricula in the classroom with the needs of the boardroom. Skills for America’s Future would help connect more employers, schools, and other job training providers, and help them share knowledge about what practices work best. The goal is to ensure there are strong partnerships between growing industries and community college or training programs in every state in the country.” Continue reading
