Recipe for Success:
Community colleges prep students for the workforce
phOTO BY GarY BarBer
hile he was growing up, Corey been especially true during the recent recession
Paris (pictured left) frequently and recovery, as more students looking to save
heard his parents fondly recall money are turning to community colleges
their days at Johnson County before transferring to four-year colleges, while
Community College in Kansas. His parents experienced workers who have been recently
had met each other as students at the school laid off are using community college resources
located in the Kansas City metro several to retool their skills for new careers. In both
years ago. cases, community colleges are providing skills
When the time came to decide what he was to meet the current and future demands of
going to do after high school, the 19-year-old employers, administrators say.
Paris decided to check out JCCC for himself. The role of community colleges in the
He says his decision to enroll at the institution Tenth Federal Reserve District—an area that
is already paying off. includes western Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas,
“It’s such a close-knit school, and you just Oklahoma, Wyoming, Colorado and northern
get a good feeling being here,” Paris says. “It’s New Mexico—is likely to continue to grow,
a large school with a small-school atmosphere. according to Alison Felix and Adam Pope of
I am always meeting people who tell me the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, who
something about my dad when he was here.” recently completed research on the topic.
Paris, who serves as the president of the “Projections for the labor market suggest
student senate and aspires to eventually enter that more new jobs in the District over the
politics, feels that the community college has next decade will be filled by those who have
provided a good foundation for his future an associate’s degree or some college than any
career plans. other education level,” says Felix, a senior
“You get your money’s worth here,” economist at the Kansas City Fed. “As the
he says. “No other school I looked at had economy continues to change, employers
the combination of academic and social will demand more workers with the skills
opportunities that fit what I wanted.” community colleges can provide.”
For a growing number of people such as Across the District, employment in
Paris, the path to better career prospects is service industries—such as administrative and
leading through a community college. This has support; professional, scientific and technical;
WINTER 2011 • TEN 5
kansas CiTY Fed presidenT TOM hOeniG (far left) and members of the Omaha Branch
Board of directors recently toured the healthcare education facilities at a community college in
norfolk, neb. Community colleges are facing increased demand for their services by those seeking
to improve their earnings prospects as the economy recovers.
and healthcare—are expected to show strong skills, help students and professionals obtain
gains during the next decade. Each of these certification or other training, and help others
industries provides ample opportunities who simply enjoy learning new skills.
for community college graduates, Felix and “Students at community colleges receive a
Pope say. number of benefits, including expanding their
But, the researchers add, community employment opportunities and developing
colleges are likely to face challenging financial personal skills, such as personal finance or
pressures as they are forced to educate growing auto repair,” Felix says. “But, perhaps the most
numbers of students with dwindling funds common reason people take a community
from state and local governments. college class is to boost their earnings potential.”
Felix and Pope cite a number of studies
Vital contributors that found completing one year, or 30 credits,
During the last half century, community of study after high school increases a worker’s
colleges have been vital contributors to local wages by 5 to 11 percent. For those who
economic growth by adapting to meet the needs complete a two-year associate’s degree, the
of the workforce. In addition to providing earnings potential reaches between 20 and 30
opportunities for students to work toward two- percent higher than those with only a high
year associate’s degrees, community colleges school diploma.
also allow high school students to earn college Community college students also have
credit, provide a place to obtain vocational a wide range of career opportunities, which
6 WINTER 2011 • TEN
include occupations in the healthcare, employer’s specific need. In rural areas, the
financial, retail and wholesale trades. In partnerships were even more widespread, with
addition, positions that were previously filled more than 90 percent of community colleges
by high school graduates, such as those in the offering contract training.
construction industry, are increasingly being
filled by workers who receive training from Recent trends
community colleges in welding, plumbing, During economic downturns, students
and heating and air-conditioning installation. and workers alike have traditionally turned to
Certification in fields such as nursing, community colleges as an affordable way to
computer technology and firefighting are also meet their educational and training needs. The
provided by community colleges. latest recession was no different.
Mark James, chancellor of the five-campus “That has absolutely been consistent with
Metropolitan Community College system in what our experience has been over the last few
Kansas City, Mo., says students are enrolling at years,” said Terry Calaway, president of Johnson
his institution with more “intentionality.” County Community College.
“Laid-off workers and other nontraditional In terms of total enrollment numbers,
students are coming to MCC not just for a JCCC has seen an increase from 17,000
general upgrade to their skills but with an eye students in 2007 to about 22,000 in the fall
towards what specific jobs will be available 2010 semester, an increase of about 29 percent.
to them when they complete the training Nationally, enrollment at community colleges
program, certificate or degree,” James says. rose about 24 percent from 2007 to 2009,
“They want to know that their investment according to figures Felix and Pope cite.
of time and money will make them more At MCC, enrollment in recent years
marketable to employers.” has risen at a similar pace, reaching “unprec-
But, it’s not just workers and students who edented” numbers, says James.
benefit from community colleges’ presence. Community colleges have
Local economies gain more productive always been a resource for
workforces, more jobs and infrastructure unemployed and un-
benefits as a result of the training and education deremployed workers,
available at community colleges, Felix and James adds, “but the
Pope say. role of the com-
“Additional worker earnings generate tax munity college
revenue, which translates to funding for school is especially cru-
improvements, roads and other infrastructure,” cial during this
Pope says. “Research also shows that better
educated workers are more productive citizens,
which helps create a community where other
skilled workers and strong employers want
to locate.”
Community colleges have also developed
productive partnerships with local industries
to help develop specific skills sought by
employers. A 2004 audit by the Government
Accountability Office found 75 percent of
community colleges offered some kind of
contract training course aimed at meeting an
WINTER 2011 • TEN 7
recession, when there has been simultane- “We’re preparing students for careers that
ous growth in businesses’ need for efficiency didn’t exist five years ago, and even careers that
and the number of workers they are forced to don’t exist today,” Calaway says. “That bodes
lay off.” well for the growth of the region.”
Area employers are turning to both At MCC, programs in transportation,
institutions to meet their needs in a number of logistics and supply chain management; animal
fields. Calaway says one of JCCC’s trademark health; welding; and small business are seeing
programs is its culinary and hospitality increased interest from students and employers.
program, which offers an associate’s degree in Healthcare is also expected to be a major source
chef apprenticeship. The program provides of growth, specifically professions in health
a real-world setting for students to practice information technology, and occupational and
food preparation, along with menu planning physical therapy assistants, James says.
and purchasing.
“There is a dramatic need for those who
want to work in high-end chef positions at Effect of budget cuts
country clubs and restaurants,” Calaway says. However, as more students turn to
In addition, JCCC has seen “huge growth” community colleges during economic
in its small business and entrepreneurship downturns, institutions have had to deal with
programs, as well as math and science programs. budget cuts from state and local governments
A new two-story, 50,000-square-foot health that are affected by the same downturns.
careers center is scheduled to open this year “These budget cuts result in financial
in Olathe, Kan., on land donated by Olathe pressure on community colleges at a time when
Medical Center to house JCCC’s programs they most need funding to maintain or expand
for nursing, home health aides, certified nurse their programs,” Felix says.
assistants and others. Community colleges rely on state and local
Tenth District Community Colleges
Tenth district Community Colleges
2007 revenue sources
Community colleges in the Tenth Other
8.8%
Federal Reserve District, which includes Sales and Tuition and
western Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Services Fees 18.9%
Gifts 6.9%
Oklahoma, Wyoming, Colorado and 1.2%
Northern New Mexico, rely on a Endowment
0.3%
variety of revenue sources. State and
local governments provide about half of
Federal Government
community colleges’ revenue, and the 14.1%
reliance on these two sources leaves
Local Government
community colleges more vulnerable to
21.4%
changes in tax revenue than four-year
colleges, according to Alison Felix and
Adam Pope of the Kansas City Fed.
State Government
28.3%
Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
funding for about half of their total revenue, recent recession and structural changes in the
Felix and Pope say. As a result, community workforce, Felix and Pope said.
colleges are more vulnerable to changes in state However, the District’s community
and local tax revenue than four-year colleges, colleges appear better equipped to meet the
which rely much less on state and local funding. demands for their services than other parts
In the District, community colleges have of the country. In every District state except
faced budget cuts ranging from 1.77 percent Oklahoma, the student-faculty ratios at two-
in Oklahoma to 7.15 percent in Kansas for year institutions are below the national average.
fiscal year 2011. Many states are still planning “This suggests that community colleges
to cut more in coming years and are asking in the Tenth District might be able to educate
colleges and universities to tighten their more students by increasing their student-
belts accordingly. faculty ratios,” Pope says. “As a result, the
“It definitely makes things more region’s community colleges are in a relatively
challenging,” says JCCC’s Calaway. “We took good position to meet the increased demand in
some hits, but we have been prepared.” the long and short run.”
Calaway said members of the school’s The goal for institutions such as JCCC
board of directors anticipated the pressures of is to continue to use their available resources
the recession and were able to limit the impact to train and educate students including
ahead of time. In all, JCCC cut $11 million out Corey Paris.
of its annual budget of $204 million during the “I feel I’ve received exactly the kinds of
last two years. The school responded through opportunities I’ve needed to help me continue
more conservative financial planning and my education and start in the professional
job attrition. world,” Paris says. “It’s more than exceeded
“Next year probably won’t be any better my expectations.”
budget-wise, but we are working hard to run
our college like a business and get ahead of the T
trends,” Calaway says. By BIll meDley, TeN CONTRIBuTING WRITeR
MCC has been working to diversify its
revenue sources during the last few years by
pursuing federal, state, local and private-source
grants; leasing unoccupied space in college
facilities; and expanding online learning
opportunities, among other initiatives. f u r t h e r R e S O u R C e S
The college also remains committed to
“the Importance of communIty colleges
providing a quality education at an affordable
to the tenth DIstrIct economy”
price, and “any increase in tuition considered
By Alison Felix and Adam Pope
by the Board of Trustees will be with a goal
KansasCityFed.org/publications
of minimizing the impact on our students,”
James says.
Forecast
Although the budget picture in many
states remains dire, community colleges across
the District are still likely to see increased comments/QuestIons are welcome
demand for their services as a result of the and should be sent to teneditors@kc.frb.org.
WINTER 2011 • TEN 9