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Saturday, July 17, 2010
A Community for Boomers
In a tough job market, more adults are seeking education as a way to sidestep the hiring slump, retrain or better position themselves for the economic recovery. Community colleges can be a big help, especially for those 50 and older.
In Massachusetts, for example, registered nurses hoping to get back into the workforce can turn to a program aimed specifically for nurses who have been away from the practice for an extended period of time.
The 45-hour Middlesex Community College RN Refresher Training Program "ensures that these RNs are equipped with the necessary training for today's work environment," says program manager Sheila Morin. "They probably won't get hired without current training."
The American Association of Community Colleges is expanding its "Plus 50 Initiative" to help local colleges design programs for baby boomers derailed by the recession. This year 32 community colleges have joined the effort.
"Community colleges are on the forefront of efforts to help mature workers in today's stressed economy," says Mary Sue Vickers, director of the Plus 50 Initiative.
The AACC and five other national organizations representing the nation's 1,200 community colleges have pledged to increase student completion rates by 50 percent over the next decade and to produce 50 percent more students with high quality degrees and certificates by 2020
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