December 13, 2011

SPCC Awarded Grant to Support Training for Jobs for the Future

South Piedmont Community College is one of eight North Carolina community colleges selected to participate in a three-year grant designed to train adults for the jobs of today and the future.

Jobs for the Future (JFF) has announced that the NC Community College System has been awarded a $1.6 million “Accelerating Opportunity” grant to ensure that more workers have marketable job skills along with proof of those skills through industry-accepted credentials.

Accelerating Opportunity initiatives are designed to get North Carolina and other states prepared for 2018, when 59 percent of all jobs in the state will require workers with some form of postsecondary credentials. Employers already report difficulty in finding qualified workers to fill skilled positions. Through Accelerating Opportunity, more adults will have the opportunity to earn college credentials that will allow them to adequately support their families and break the intergenerational cycle of poverty.

SPCC is expected to receive $75,000 per year for three years to cover expenses associated with delivering the focused job training services in Anson and Union counties.

As the grant is implemented, SPCC’s Basic Skills staff will assess each participant and develop a transition plan for moving from their current skill level into college coursework following one of three proposed pathways: Computer Information Technology, Medical Office Administration or Early Childhood Education. SPCC selected these three pathways because the programs provide certificates that can be earned in one or two semesters with the credits transferring into diploma programs. The certificates will allow students to obtain skilled, entry-level employment. Once students land jobs, they can continue their studies and earn diplomas and associate degrees to increase their earning power. Ideally, they will continue their studies beyond the associate degree level.

Accelerating Opportunity has grown from JFF’s Breaking Through Initiative, which has supported 41 community colleges in 22 states, including North Carolina, to improve career pathways and postsecondary education for low skilled adults.

SPCC was selected in 2006 as a Learning College in Project Breaking Through, a JFF and National Council for Workforce Education initiative. The college hired a full-time Breaking Through counselor in 2007 to provide transition services to help Basic Skills students and unemployed and laid off workers move into the workforce with new job skills. The Accelerating Opportunities grant will allow more students to access support services they need to succeed.

Participants will be provided comprehensive academic and social student support services to help remove barriers to their success and promote completion of the program. Successful participants will earn 12 college-level semester credits, with tuition support, and will be prepared to enter additional college level courses.

SPCC President Stan Sidor said the grant will help the college provide an essential transition pathway for students who begin their studies in Basic Skills. “Research has shown that having a direct connection to a desired profession improves student persistency and graduation rates,” Sidor said. “This grant supports the college’s efforts to provide this opportunity to our students. We’re very thankful to the organizations that are funding the Accelerating Opportunity Initiative.”

“The way we deliver adult basic education is changing,” said Denise Wilson, director of Basic Skills at SPCC. “The ultimate goal is not only for a student to receive the GED or adult high school diploma, but for students to continue on to some form of post-secondary education and be college-ready and ultimately obtain a good job.”

Makena Stewart, Breaking Through counselor at SPCC, added, “Students who hold high school diplomas but are underprepared will be able to receive supplemental instruction."

“To be competitive not just with other states, but with other countries, it’s imperative that North Carolina’s workforce have the skills necessary to meet employers’ needs,” said NCCCS President Scott Ralls.

“In order to ensure that more workers have the skills they need for today’s good jobs, a change is needed in the way adult basic education is structured and delivered at the state and institutional levels in this country,” said JFF President and CEO Marlene B. Seltzer.

“Accelerating Opportunity is expanding the professional horizons of Americans across the country—regardless of age or background—by helping them earn credentials and learn skills that have real value to employers,” said Maria Flynn, JFF vice president, Building Economic Opportunity.

The Accelerating Opportunity Initiative funds will be shared between the NCCCS Office and Blue Ridge Community College, Central Piedmont Community College, College of the Albemarle, Davidson County Community College, Richmond Community College, South Piedmont Community College, and Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute and Wilkes Community College working as a consortium.

Accelerating Opportunity: A Breaking Through Initiative is a multi-state effort managed by Jobs for the Future that promotes improved academic access and economic opportunity for low-skilled adults. This effort seeks to reform adult basic education and postsecondary systems by integrating basic skills with occupational training and adequate institutional support for adult learners, ensuring they receive the postsecondary credentials needed to succeed in high-skilled jobs and break the cycle of poverty in their communities. Accelerating Opportunity is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, and the Open Society Foundations. For program and implementation expertise, Jobs for the Future (JFF) has engaged the National Council on Workforce Education, national College Transition Network and the Washington State Board of Community & Technical colleges as partners.

For more information, visit www.acceleratingopportunity.org.

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Media inquiries: Rosemary Britt, 704-272-5342, rbritt@spcc.edu