Community colleges tackling a big job
Published October 15, 2014
Editorial by Jacksonville Daily News, October 14, 2014.
Dr. Scott Ralls, president of North Carolina’s community college system, has a big job to do and he knows it.
Ralls has been speaking across the state recently to spread the word about Align4NCWorks — a plan to improve the transfer process from community colleges to four-year schools and to help students take courses that will lead to jobs upon graduation. The goal is to help students graduate in the expected period of time, reducing student debt and saving money for taxpayers.
That’s good for both students and taxpayers who help foot the bill for classes at state-supported schools. Students don’t pay for classes they don’t need and neither do taxpayers.
Ralls, however, says Align4NCWorks has a challenge in directing students toward studies that lead to jobs. In his travels across North Carolina, Ralls says, he has found that students score low on engagement. They are not paying enough attention to messages about careers and jobs.
Ralls cites manufacturing as a North Carolina industry looking for qualified employees — and not finding them.
Gov. Pat McCrory had a similar message when launched his “1,000 in 100” workforce development initiative in Greensboro in late September.
The governor ticked off a list of jobs waiting to be filled by qualified workers — truck drivers, IT, mechanical, electrical and HVAC maintenance.
In an attempt to bring a bit of humor to his message, the governor quipped that North Carolina could use more “people who can fix things and operate things and repair things” but fewer lawyers and journalists.
Message to McCrory: With a state government that passed fewer laws, North Carolina surely would need fewer lawyers. And with a smaller government, there would be less need for more journalists performing the important watchdog role on an ever-growing and secretive bureaucracy.
But back to workforce development, an important issue for North Carolina.
In a 100-day span, the governor is sending teams to all 100 of the state’s counties to talk to 1,000 businesses about the skills they need to find in workers.
Findings from the “1,000 in 100” initiative surely can be helpful to Ralls and the network of community colleges across the state as they work to engage students and steer them toward an available job.
It’s a big job, to be sure, but coordinating efforts between the community college system and the governor’s office holds the promise not only of helping students keep college costs down and saving taxpayers’ money, but also of supporting businesses already operating in North Carolina and attracting new ones to boost the state’s economy.
