Community colleges bear burden of retraining

By Justin Pope
Associated Press

HOLYOKE, Mass. — Richard Messier worked 25 years on an assembly line, fabricating steel and making air compressors. When foreign competition took his job 15 months ago, he knew those industries weren't coming back.

Messier enrolled in a community college to learn management skills. He'd need them to get a new job, and he wanted his next one to be better than his last.

"You get to be 47 years old, you really don't want to be working in structural steel," Messier says.

As globalization transforms the world economy, America's 1,200 community colleges are being asked to shoulder the primary burden of retraining workers like Messier. President Bush has visited several recently to highlight job-training programs.

Messier's experience at Holyoke Community College in western Massachusetts reflects many of the virtues of the community college system, but also its challenges.

He has loved his teachers, loved learning again. But he has been frustrated by the bureaucratic maze he has been forced to navigate to find government money, and it's unclear whether he will reach his goals.

Messier's coursework is at least temporarily on hold. Jobs are still tough to come by here, so when two opened up — including a temporary stint at his former company that offered benefits — he decided he had to take them. He hopes to finish his degree with an online program, but right now he is just too busy.

"I have kids in college, I own a home," Messier says. "I have to think not so much of myself, but getting money and benefits."

Enrollment in America's community colleges rose 38 percent between 1992 and 2002, and about 12 million people now attend at least part time.

With its flexibility and efforts to accommodate all comers, the system is unique in the world and one some countries hope to emulate. Champions say it opens doors, responding quickly to changes in local and national economic conditions. Many schools are building close relationships with industry.

But state budget cuts have reduced services and increased tuition. California's community college system estimates it turned away 175,000 students last year because of spending cuts.

"Every time there's a buyout or a consolidation, we see people coming in the door," says Johanna Wolff, who shepherds students through retraining programs for Holyoke Community College.

Some argue community colleges are unfocused, unsure of their mission. Should they concentrate on training younger students or retraining older ones? What about people who already have a degree, but pay taxes to support the system and want a new skill?

Many community colleges "have tried to be all things to all people," says Paul Harrington, an economist with Northeastern University's Center for Labor Market Studies. "They've taken the community side too seriously, and the college side not seriously enough."

'Nontraditional' numbers

A century ago, the community of Holyoke was a prosperous paper manufacturing center. Today, it has the lowest per capita income in Massachusetts, with nearly a quarter of its families below the poverty line. The city school district is one of two declared "underperforming" by the state.

The college, however, is a source of pride, serving 6,500 students, many of them transferring to four-year schools. A business center is under construction, and there are plans to develop a nearby office park. Nearly nine in 10 recent graduates responding to a school survey reported receiving excellent or good preparation.

In Holyoke classrooms, it's apparent that many of the "nontraditional" students — more than one-third are over 30 — are leaders. "We know why we're here, and we know how important it is to get the information while we can," says Dave Bardsley, a 35-year-old computing technology student. His career as a machinist ended in 1999 when he was diagnosed with a degenerative disk disease.

Instructors say they know the technologies they teach may soon be outdated. So they teach students how to learn, by assigning research projects, for example.

And Holyoke Community College almost obsessively caters to local employers. It customizes training programs on as little as two weeks notice. Advisory boards filled with practitioners review each program's curriculum. The veterinary technician program asks local employers to rate graduate hires on 85 separate skills, and adjusts coursework if necessary.

But some of the hurdles community colleges face also are apparent here. In one of Bardsley's classes, students are clearly at many different ability levels. "You teach to the best, and I help everyone else get up to their level," says teacher Casey Storozuk.

Diversity a challenge

The sheer diversity — in age, race and educational background — can be overwhelming. More older students are seeking retraining, but the number of younger students, many from Holyoke's troubled school system, is rising even faster. Different ages have different priorities. Younger students, for instance, want more sports teams.

Money also is a relentless problem. The college's funding from the state has fallen from $18 million to $14.6 million in recent years. "We're down in staff, up in students, and the cost per student is up as well," says Paul Raverta, interim president of Holyoke Community College.

Administrators want to expand programs in growing fields such as nursing, but for now can take only 60 students per year. Even if there were money to hire more teachers, recruiting would be tough. Hospital nurses can earn $75,000 per year. Why would they teach for $38,000?

Some forms of aid to community colleges have increased considerably in the past decade, and Bush has proposed a $250 million job-training grants program that would fund partnerships between community colleges and the public and private sectors.

But some critics say the president isn't backing up his verbal support. His budget request trims $300 million from the Perkins Vocational Education Program, a pipeline to community colleges, and could redirect some money to secondary schools.

Degrees can boost wages

Does community college retraining work? Measurement is tricky, but a 1999 survey found substantial returns for associate's degrees, and wage increases of 5 percent to 11 percent for those who earn at least a year's worth of community college credits. A 2002 study of Washington state data estimated a 9 percent bump for men and 13 percent for women.

But completing less than a year apparently has little effect. And Harrington, the Northeastern economist, says community colleges aren't doing much for those who haven't picked up basic skills in secondary schools.

Meanwhile, good training is no guarantee of a job.

In Martinsville, Va., an area that has lost thousands of textile jobs to foreign competition, Patrick Henry Community College President Max Wingett says many graduates must move elsewhere to find work applying their new skills.

Job prospects aren't much better in western Massachusetts. That's why Messier, the former assembly line worker with three children, put his studies on hold when work came along.

"There's so many people out there looking for jobs," he says.

Messier doesn't regret his decision, and believes he'll finish his degree. After struggling some to adjust to the company of younger students, he still carried a 3.9 GPA.

"You feel a little uncomfortable, but you do it because that's what you've got to do," he says. "There's nothing but good that can come from going back to school."