News
January 24, 2003
Contact: Lorna Sutton, Director of Communications, SBCTC, 360-704-4310
State’s high unemployment leads to 59 percent increase
in worker retraining enrollment at two-year colleges
OLYMPIA – Washington’s high levels of unemployment showed up in the state’s community and technical college classrooms last fall as enrollment in worker retraining programs climbed by 59 percent over the previous fall quarter.
At the same time, overall enrollment reached record levels, with more than a quarter of a million students – 260,488 individuals or the equivalent of 156,879 full-time students – participating in classes at two-year colleges. This was an increase of 4 percent over the previous fall and the highest enrollment in the history of the state’s community and technical college system.
These are among the highlights of the fall quarter 2002 enrollment report, which will be presented to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) when they meet in Olympia Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 29-30.
Earl Hale, SBCTC executive director, noted that two-year colleges are working to accommodate a growing number of dislocated workers at the same time the “baby boom echo” is entering college and the state is experiencing a major budget crisis.
“People who have lost their jobs are turning to the colleges for help to get back into the workforce,” Hale said. “But the budget situation is jeopardizing our ability to provide them with training opportunities.”
The state’s 34 two-year colleges provide academic courses that transfer to four-year universities; basic skills instruction for immigrants wanting to learn English and other adults needing essential skills in reading, writing and math; and workforce education, providing the job skills training and retraining needed by the state’s businesses.
At Wednesday’s study session, the State Board will discuss the important role the colleges play in providing opportunities for students of color. The state population is about 22 percent people of color, while the college population is about 28 percent students of color. In addition to state-level initiatives to improve the academic success of students of color, the board will hear about strategies being employed by Bates Technical College (Tacoma), Columbia Basin College (Pasco) and Shoreline Community College.
The study session agenda also includes an update on steps being taken to implement the two-year colleges’ economic development strategy and a report on the success of welfare recipients participating in WorkFirst training programs offered by the colleges. Thursday’s regular session will include the fall quarter enrollment report and a discussion of factors affecting enrollment demand at the colleges. Also on the agenda are a report on part-time faculty salaries and the full-time, part-time faculty mix.
The meeting will begin with a study session Wednesday from 1:30 to 5 p.m. The regular session will be Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon. Both sessions will be at the State Board office, 319 Seventh Avenue SE, Olympia. In addition, the board has scheduled a dinner meeting Wednesday with the executive committee of the Trustees Association of Community and Technical Colleges.
All meetings are open to the public.
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The meeting agenda and background materials are posted on the State Board Web site at: http://www.sbctc.ctc.edu/general/a_board/.
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