Community colleges will be crucial to reviving the economy
Many students dropped out of college and career training programs, and they will need career paths.
By Joe May, Russell Lowery-Hart and Leigh B. Goodson
1:30 AM on Mar 7, 2021 CST
It’s tempting to believe once COVID-19 is contained, the U.S. economy will bounce back quickly, replenishing jobs and incomes lost in the pandemic. Yet, as presidents of community colleges that educate and train a substantial portion of the workforce, we have concerns driven by both recent data and historic perspective.
The data presents a significant early warning sign. When the labor market fully reopens, some high-demand jobs may be hard to fill even with millions of Americans looking for work. This is due to a copious drop-off in community college enrollments nationwide.
Tulsa Community College’s early college program is growing by two districts.
TCC has announced EDGE, which stands for “Earn a Degree, Graduate Early,” will be offered in Broken Arrow as well as Tulsa public schools in the fall. Eighth graders apply now for the program, in which students take college classes starting in 10th grade and earn an associate’s degree by the time they graduate from high school. And then, by the time they’re done with high school, they’re already half finished with college and they can transfer to one of our university partner schools and complete their bachelor degree. And we are just so excited to develop a vehicle that provides that kind of financial mobility and changing the trajectory of a family, said TCC President Leigh Goodson.