The U.S. Department of Labor has announced grants to help grow job skills training between community colleges and employers, with $474.5 million funneled toward increased training opportunities, according to a news release.
The announcement, made by acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris on April 19, focused primarily on the need for more practical, job-based skills among community college graduates.
The funding is part of the 2009 federal decision to spend money on improving the community college system, totaling nearly $1.5 billion thus far. Institutions interested in using the funding for new projects can apply on the federal grants program website.
According to the Department of Labor, funds will be used in three primary categories, with no indication of preference. First listed was investment in “innovative and evidence-based training,” which will include more partnerships with local employers so that students can move out into real-world situations and train in job skills that they will need upon graduation.
Second, the announcement reports that the grants will be used for new data-tracking systems to help the smaller colleges understand how well their students succeed after graduation, including job rates and information on compensation levels.
Third, the department also mentioned its intention to award the funds for more tech-based projects, specifically projects that use advanced online job training tools. Colleges are invited to create course materials that can be offered publicly through the Open Educational Resources Initiatives, an open-source project that allows users (specifically professors) to change and update materials as needed.
Past grants went to colleges such as Palm Beach State College, which received $3 million in 2012 to update its health information technology programs to include widespread student support, and Vincennes University, which planned to create a blended-learning environment with online courses using its $2.9 million. However, few of the past year’s grant winners had plans to work in the digital realm. This latest focus on online materials and the use of Big Data appears targeted especially toward gaps in development at community colleges.
The open-source option is particularly attractive to smaller colleges, since it allows them to adjust materials for specific purposes, such as troubleshooting student weaknesses in out-of-class material. This can help students prepare for tests and exams in a more organic, personalized way.
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) would agree. Under its 2013 list of “Hot Issues,” the organization has listed “Technology,” “Institutional Development,” and “Economic/Workforce Development,” suggesting that both the Department of Labor and the AACC have been looking at similar data. The benefits to such a work-based, digital learning structure are numerous, but tend to help both colleges and communities alike with improved job sourcing and more economic activity.
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