Montgomery College (MC) has long served as a workforce development anchor in our community. So, when sudden federal workforce reductions hit Maryland, we responded with speed, strategy and heart. Our approach focused on five key actions: supporting highly educated professionals, offering in-demand career coaching, promoting credit for prior learning, organizing local job fairs and accelerating career transitions.
The need was urgent. Many of those affected cannot afford the time or cost of spending years reskilling, upskilling or new-skilling. We focused on fast, flexible pathways in high-demand fields like healthcare, IT, and cybersecurity — where certifications can lead to meaningful employment and career trajectory in a matter of months.
A multi-pronged approach
In a highly educated job market where 75% of federal workers hold at least an associate degree, MC serves students who have already earned advanced credentials. Our Clinical Trial Project Management program, for instance, attracts graduate-level professionals looking to enter or advance in life sciences — a field with more than 350 companies in our region and a growing demand for specialized talent.
We also offered free career coaching to help people reimagine their paths through an online career exploration tool. Career Coach provides instant access to data on training options, hiring trends and Bureau of Labor Statistics’ salary projections, empowering individuals to make informed decisions quickly.
Military veterans and other experienced professionals often have valuable training and experience that can translate into college credit — saving both time and money in a career transition. It was important to help displaced workers understand that credit for prior learning can advance their progress to a credential.
Perhaps one of our most impactful responses was hosting targeted job fairs. Our life sciences fair for displaced federal workers reached capacity in less than 10 days, with a waitlist of 200. We convened 10 life sciences employers for direct hiring conversations.
Volunteers stepped up, as well, with professionals reviewing resumes on the spot. We quickly adapted pre-planned job fairs to include a focus on supporting displaced workers. And to centralize support, we launched a dedicated Displaced Federal Workers Support site, regularly updated with resources and tools.
Partners in outreach efforts
The numbers underscore the urgency to accelerate career transitions by providing holistic support: Maryland is home to more than 220,000 federal workers across agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and the National Security Agency — with up to 30,000 layoffs projected, the scale of disruption is massive.
That’s why we partnered early and often — with chambers of commerce, industry groups and faith-based organizations to spread the word. We collaborated with WorkSource Montgomery, the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation and Mobilize Montgomery to share information and expand our collective impact.
On our website, we added vital links for food access, housing support, and mental health resources — because people need more than job advice; they need practical support, direction to financial resources and hope.
Ready to serve our communities
We are the community’s college, and we stand at the ready, this day and every day. Systems we had in place — career coaching, credit for prior learning, training for advanced degree holders — gave us a running start. Our longstanding partnerships meant we acted with a commitment shared across several organizations. And the commitment of our faculty and staff helped to ensure successful implementation of new strategies and alignment of existing resources.
Yet we know the work must continue. Community colleges like Montgomery College are uniquely positioned to meet the needs of the communities we serve, in times of crisis, stability or a combination — and we must continue to evolve, listen and invest in the future of the people in our communities — the people who create the workforce, and contribute to economic and community development. As we navigate the road ahead, we stand committed to our mission to help all students discover their passions and unlock their potential to transform lives, enrich the community, and change the world.
Community colleges are deeply embedded in the lives of the people they serve, and that connection makes us impactful, especially when we think about the importance of advancing our society.
