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Dr. Faye Pappalardo
President |
One of my strategic initiatives for the coming year is to meet the statewide goals for the Governor's Skills to Compete project. We hope to increase the number of degrees and certificates awarded in programs that lead to middle-skills jobs.
Skills to Compete is Governor O'Malley's vision for Marylanders to earn the credentials they need to get middle-skills jobs. Middle-skills jobs require training beyond high school but less than a bachelor's degree. Even in the current economy, many employers report that they need middle-and high-skilled workers to fill vacant jobs. Common middle-skills jobs include registered nurses, computer support specialists, dental hygienists, respiratory therapists, and many others.
Carroll has taken steps to begin to meet the Governor's challenge. An example is the Mid-Maryland Community College Allied Healthcare Education Center which will be located in Mt. Airy. About 300 to 500 students will be trained a year, helping students prepare for in-demand jobs and alleviating the shortage of health care workers in Maryland. The Center is a partnership among Carroll, Frederick and Howard Community Colleges. It will house science, computer and medical simulation laboratories and classrooms for allied health education programs. You can find a story about the Center in this issue of Today.
Carroll has additional initiatives in both credit curricula and continuing education to address the goals of Skills to Compete. The college has added a spring-start cohort to its Associate Degree Nursing program, thus expanding program capacity by 48 nursing seats annually. We have created a new Career Center and expanded career services to students. Continuing Education and Training provides courses in 18 allied health and nursing non-credit training programs leading to employment, career re-entry, and/or certification.
The Skills to Compete initiative recognizes the valuable role community colleges have in providing workforce preparation to meet the needs of local and regional employers, and Carroll Community College embraces the challenge.
Dr. Faye Pappalardo
President
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