Transforming Academic Support: Kirkwood Community College's New Learning Commons Vision
KCC is transforming its approach to academic support. Kirkwood's Institutional Research office has documented an overall trend of falling full-time student enrollments paired with rising part-time enrollments. Lower enrollments have prompted colleges across the U.S. to focus more intensively on student success with the hope of retaining students already enrolled and improving outcomes. Student use of Kirkwood's Tutoring Center had languished since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students' feelings about the Tutoring Center may have had something to do with the low use rates. In July 2023, Kirkwood dissolved the former Department of Learning Services and moved its programs into other units at the college. Kirkwood's dean of students helped to pull together a focus group of students to gather input about their needs for academic support and the ways they preferred to receive support. Using students' feedback and aligning with the strategic priority to make academic supports inclusive, the Tutoring Center was rebranded as the Learning Commons. Responsiveness to students and collaborations with support programs across the college are the basis of what's next for the Learning Commons. Beyond the space, the Learning Commons intends to adopt a proactive stance to achieve the goal of making academic support unavoidable. To learn more, click here.
Hawkeye Community College Receives $1.5 Million Grant for Employment Training Program
HCC will expand its efforts to lower barriers to employment with a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The YouthBuild grant, developed by the DOL to strengthen the U.S. workforce through apprenticeships and other training for young workers, will be put toward the college's WE Build program. The WE Build program provides training in skills including team building, interviewing, resume writing, and personal development, as well as career counseling in the construction industry. To learn more, click here.
School's in Session: Continuing Education Enhances Workforce, Consumer Safety
When it comes to going back to school, it's not just kids that reap the benefits. Whether the training is required by law or simply suggested by an employer, a bevy of fields in Dubuque utilize in-house classroom settings, local colleges and training centers. Northeast Iowa Community College offers a mix of on-campus learning as well as staff going directly to places of employment. To learn more, click here.
Kirkwood Community College Buys 80 Acres for $1.4 Million to Bolster Ag Programs
At a time of growing worker needs across the agriculture industry and strong sustained interest among agriculture students, KCC last week secured more educational cropland with a $1.4 million purchase of 80 nearby acres. The prime plot of rolling farmland at 2800 Wright Brothers Blvd. SW sits about 2 miles southeast of Kirkwood's main campus in Cedar Rapids, adjacent other Kirkwood acreage used for its many agriculture-related programs and degrees. Because of growth in the area, the Iowa Department of Transportation is widening Interstate 380 to six lanes from the north ramps of the Swisher interchange to just south of U.S. Highway 30 and to reconfigure the Wright Brothers Boulevard interchange - the main exit to the Eastern Iowa Airport and to a surrounding boom in manufacturing, warehouses and homes. To learn more, click here.
Just Released: Community College Skills-Based Hiring Playbook and Case Study
ACCT and Opportunity@Work are pleased to announce a new set of resources to support community colleges. Employers do not have to look too far for partners in making skills-based hiring feasible. In 2022, Maryland became the first state to remove degree requirements from state positions, thereby opening over 19,000 jobs to more than 1.3 million STARs (Skilled Through Alternative Routes). Charting New Career Pathways: Partnering with Community Colleges in Maryland on Skills-Based Hiring highlights lessons learned, challenges, and recommendations from ACCT's Skills-Based Hiring Initiative. The Community College Skills-Based Hiring Playbook is a comprehensive guide for community colleges aiming to implement or enhance skills-based hiring practices. In today's rapidly evolving job market, community colleges are at the forefront of bridging the skills gap and enhancing economic mobility. In 2023, the Association of Community College Trustees launched the Skills-Based Hiring Initiative that focuses on increasing the effectiveness of skills-based hiring.
Renewable Energy Jobs are Plentiful, and Community Colleges are Helping
Iowa's community colleges have an important role when it comes to powering the economy: educating and producing a pipeline of skilled workers to fill in-demand jobs, like those in clean energy technology. High school and non-traditional students often consider alternatives to a traditional four-year degree or want to gain a credential and a great job on the way to a four-year degree. Many communities face talent shortages when it comes to filling open positions. The U.S. Department of Energy recently released a study that found widespread employment benefits because of wind projects. Continued clean energy development across Iowa allows for this successful dynamic to continue, preventing brain drain and empowering Iowans to stay in Iowa. To read the rest of DMACC President Rob Denson's article, click here.
Quad City Women Urged to Pursue Manufacturing Careers
About 241,200 openings for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are projected each year over the decade. There will be a 7% growth rate for machinists through 2030. Women can be and should be part of that growth. To learn more, click here.
Northeast Iowa Community College Adds Five New Sports Teams in Athletics Expansion
Five new sports teams are coming to NICC in an expansion to the college's athletics program. Baseball, softball, dance, and men's and women's cross-country teams are being added to the college's growing athletic offerings. The college hired Athletics Director Nick Weinmeister last spring to create a plan for the expansion. Baseball and softball feature rosters of 20 or more students at the Peosta campus, while cross-country, which is available at both campuses, will accommodate 12-20 students. These new athletics programs are expected to begin competing in August 2025. To learn more, click here.
Public Comment Period Opens for Perkins V State Targets
The Iowa Department of Education is now collecting public comment on the Iowa Perkins V Accountability for Continuation of State Plan through Sept. 5. Under the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, also known as Perkins V, states are required to report annually on core indicators of performance for both secondary and postsecondary programs. Iowans interested in providing feedback on the proposed 2024-29 SDLPs are invited to review the Iowa Perkins V Accountability for Continuation of State Plan document on the Department's website. Feedback can be submitted by email to cte@iowa.gov or via USPS mail to the Iowa Department of Education. All public comments will be reviewed by the accountability subcommittee for possible revisions.
September 18th Webinar: Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) Learning Days: Empowering Service Members to Pursue Their Education Journey
The Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support, also known as DANTES, has been providing education and career planning programs at no-cost to actively serving U.S. service members, including those in the National Guard, Reserve components and the Coast Guard for 50 years, as of July 31, 2024. This event will delve into how to empower service members to pursue their education journey through a holistic approach to using DANTES programs and products. To register for the webinar, click here.