Keeping the water system flowing
Automation may be replacing people in many industries, but water is not one of them. According to Hillary Caron, water education and programs coordinator for the city of Grand Rapids, there are hundreds of careers…
Academic Programs
Workforce Pell is finally here. What will it take to get it to work?
The higher education community didn’t find much to celebrate in Congress’s passage of the “big beautiful bill,” with one notable exception: the expansion of Pell grants to shorter-form workforce training programs. Workforce Pell has finally…
Bringing nanopore tech to STEM classrooms
Under a microscope, some crab larvae look the same. But, thanks to a new grant, Bellevue College (BC) students and faculty are using nanopore technology to rapidly identify the unique DNA of multiple crab species…
Applied associate of science degrees: Pathways for workforce and transfer
As North Carolina experiences rapid industrial growth and significant population changes, its community colleges are playing a critical role in shaping the state’s future workforce. Historically, students pursuing associate of applied science (AAS) degrees entered…
A needed career spark
At Portland Community College’s Swan Island Trades Center, the clang and bright sparks of welding tools gave way to a different kind of activity — one of celebration, accomplishment and new beginnings. The maritime welding…
Making the case for good data
Policymakers, college leaders and students all rely on clear, timely data for decision-making. But not all data systems are created equal. Angela Perry, a senior advisor for postsecondary and workforce pathways at the Data Quality…
DOL to manage ED’s adult ed, CTE programs
With the Supreme Court on Monday clearing the way for the Trump administration to shrink the Education Department’s workforce, the department on Tuesday announced plans for the Department of Labor (DOL) to manage its adult…
A broader conversation about AI ethics in higher ed
In May, artificial intelligence (AI) use in the classroom once again took center stage when a student sued Northeastern University. The lawsuit arose after the student discovered that her professor had used ChatGPT to create…
Snapshots
Photos from institutional members of the American Association of Community Colleges. Krista Kiessling (left), director of the Owens Community College Center for Campus and Community Connections, and Owens student Mike Young at the college’s beehives on…
Persistence, retention drop among older students
While overall persistence and retention rates have remained relatively flat among community college students who entered in fall 2023, the rates for older learners show big drops, according to a new report from the National…