OLMIS

by Gail Krumenauer
Published Oct-27-2010

Life Cycle of Programs Rising Enrollment Variety of Programs for Diverse Student Goals Community College Expands Employment Opportunities Where are They Now? Summary

Oregon's community colleges are in the unique position to serve the many and varied needs of their students. In 2009, 7,095 students earned associates degrees from Oregon's 17 community colleges. Some graduates will continue on to universities, while others seek new jobs across the wide range of Oregon industries. Other community college students seek career enhancement with certificate programs, and some take classes to improve their work or personal skills, or pursue a hobby, without seeking a certificate or degree.

The state's two-year institutions are also essential to workforce development. Community colleges need to adjust quickly as student and workforce needs change. In the current economic climate, Oregon community colleges are seeing an increased demand for courses. Enrollment and the course load per student are rising, as many unemployed workers seek re-training opportunities, and others elect to take courses that improve their skills or competitiveness in the labor market. Decisions made by community colleges and students can influence whether a surplus or shortage of trained workers exists.

When community colleges seek to start new programs, they must complete an approval process. The process is designed to make sure new programs meet Oregon Board of Education standards, meet specific needs in the labor market, and avoid adverse effects on enrollment at other schools. The Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development oversees the approval process in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Education, and provides technical assistance to community college administrators and staff. Between July 2008 and June 2009, Oregon's community colleges started 38 new associate degree programs, and 111 certificate programs.

Colleges start new programs based on perceived need. In some cases, the need stems from growth in a particular industry; in others, new technology is the trigger. The newly-added renewable energy systems and solar voltaic manufacturing technology program options at Portland Community College, along with the sustainability coordinator associate degree at Lane Community College, are examples of training resulting from new technology and emerging demands in the workforce.

When community colleges seek to cut programs, they may look for programs with low enrollment. They may also take funding into consideration, and eliminate programs that are expensive to operate. Or, perhaps a local employer just laid off workers in a particular occupation, leaving plenty of trained individuals in a particular field looking for work. Continuing to offer training at least in the short term may result in an over-supply of workers. Other reasons may exist as well. From July 2008 through May 2009, 10 community colleges deleted or suspended programs offering certificates or associate degrees. The programs were in fields ranging from building maintenance and industrial mechanics technology to surgical technology and emergency management leadership.

After a sharp decline in the two-year span between the 2001-2002 and 2003-2004 academic years, the number of people enrolling in Oregon's community colleges began to rebound (Graph 1). While enrollment levels started growing again in 2004-2005, the per-student course load declined between the 2003-2004 and 2006-2007 academic years. Full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment is calculated by dividing the total of all student credits by the amount of credits in a full-time course load. In 2004-2005, the coursework of 3.76 enrolled students equaled the course load of one full-time student. By the 2006-2007 academic year, it took 4.02 enrolled students to meet a single full-time course load.

As the recession started late in 2007, full-time equivalent enrollment surged. Between the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 academic years, FTEs rose by 11.6 percent in Oregon. The total unduplicated head count for full- and part-time enrollment only rose by approximately 1,000 students, but the course load per student increased sharply. In the 2007-2008 academic year, it took 4.02 students to equal the coursework of one full-time enrollment. By 2008-2009, only 3.63 students were needed to total one full-time course load. Initial enrollment estimates for the 2009-2010 academic year show even greater increases in the state's community college enrollment.

Although the recession may be driving recent community college enrollment increases, students attend community colleges for a variety of reasons (Graph 2). Nearly half of students (46.9%) start their four-year education after high school at a community college and plan to transfer their lower division courses (LDC) to a university. Some students seek developmental education (20.5%), which includes programs such as English as a second language (ESL) and General Educational Development (GED). A smaller number of students take adult continuing education classes (3.2%), such as yoga, furniture refinishing, and financial planning.

The remaining 29.4 percent of students seek education in career and technical programs. Here, students generally find job-ready training. These programs generally offer a certificate of completion or associate of applied science degree for graduates. Students completing career and technical programs qualify for jobs in their field upon graduation, and some actually start work in their field before they finish school.

Liberal arts program completers dominated the top 10 list for graduates in 2008-2009 (Table 1). Most of these students are finishing general core classes and continuing on to four-year institutions where they focus on more specific career fields. Health program completers followed liberal arts. Unlike liberal arts graduates, those finishing health-related programs receive specific training for occupations. For example, someone completing a dental hygienist program has skills tailored to that occupation. The Oregon Employment Department's occupational projections show health occupations are among the fastest growing in the state.

Each of the more than 700 occupations used to collect statistics by the Oregon Employment Department has an assigned education and training requirement. This level represents the minimum that employers generally require before they will hire someone into a particular occupation.

More than 560,000 Oregon jobs in 2008 required at least some postsecondary training as a minimum qualification (Table 2). More than 65,000 required an associate degree in 2008. Between 2008 and 2018, more than 25,000 job openings will require an associate degree. About twice as many will require postsecondary training, which includes certificates from community colleges or private career school training.

Job openings that require an associate degree or postsecondary training as a minimum requirement tend to pay more than those with a minimum of a high school degree. In 2008, 72 percent (47,473 jobs) requiring a minimum of an associate degree paid more than $50,000 annually. Only 8 percent (90,959 jobs) of Oregon employment in occupations that required no postsecondary education hit this high-wage mark.

Some 25,678 of the 40,145 students in the state's Performance Reporting Information System who exited community colleges in 2009 were employed the following quarter. The largest share of students both exiting and employed by age category were ages 26 to 35 (28% for both). For all students who secured employment, the most common industry of employment was health care and social assistance (17%), which includes hospitals, nursing care facilities, and child day care centers. Other common industries of employment were retail trade (14%) - which includes department stores, florists, and book stores - and accommodation and food services (11%), where employers include restaurants, hotels and motels, and food services and drinking places.

Oregon's community colleges have a unique and important role in the continuum of education and workforce development in the state. Community colleges respond to and prepare Oregonians for the changing labor market, whether students are training for new careers, or already employed and seeking additional skills. Community colleges continually create, amend, and eliminate programs that are needed and desired by the students and employers. Goals of the many community college constituencies vary widely, from transfer coursework, to self-improvement, and specialized workers for specific, emerging occupations.

Oregon's two-year institutions balance these varying demands in an environment where their services are increasingly demanded. More people are attending community colleges to enhance their skills and adapt to workforce changes in the wake of the 2007 recession. As the cost of higher education continues to rise, more students also complete lower division coursework at two-year institutions as a cost-effective way to gain credits toward a bachelor's degree.

Many students who complete some postsecondary training or an associate degree can expand their employment opportunities in Oregon. Between 2008 and 2018, the Employment Department projects that almost half of all job openings will require some postsecondary education or training beyond high school.