The work of the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council is continuing, with the issues driving our strategic plan coming more clearly into focus. The region has defined eight industry sectors, including Higher Education.
As an economic driver on its own, higher education is powerful. The Rochester Area Colleges, which span our nine county region, account for 33,000 jobs and a payroll of $2,100 million. Our community's top employers, and one of the state's largest as well, is URMC/Strong Hospital. All of this provides higher education with a remarkable direct economic impact: as employer, purchaser, and more.
Yet, the indirect economic impact of higher education may be even more powerful. Every sector reporting out--from Agriculture to Optics, Advanced Manufacturing to Energy Innovation--cited the region's multifaceted colleges and universities as a significant asset. Research universities provide the intellectual property required for these technology transfer industries; comprehensive colleges, along with their research colleagues, provide the knowledge workers necessary to convert these ideas into products and businesses; community colleges offer students the access to transfer into these colleges and universities. Importantly, though, community colleges do even more: we provide the middle skills workforce critical to our region's economy. It is this aspect of our work that almost every sector identified as both a concern and an opportunity.
It is a concern because every sector reported a growing gap between supply and demand for middle skills workers. Too few students are entering into these fields. Too few schools, counselors, family, and friends direct students toward technical education. Too few displaced workers have the skill sets necessary to find employment in these high tech sectors. And, to be honest, too few of us even understand the technical education opportunities offered at our own college.
A few weeks back, I spoke with a recently retired MCC faculty member who admitted that in his time at the college he had never even visited the Applied Technologies Center. I doubt he's alone.
Now that he had spent time there, he was amazed at the programs it offered: the academic quality and rigor, the level of faculty and student engagement, and the path to employment for graduates.
Sometimes we lose sight of the multiple pathways into, out of, and--then, increasingly--back into college. Most of our students plot their course on an academic map familiar to us: they major in traditional academic disciplines and transfer on to complete a four year degrees. This is a well-worn road in higher education and a valuable one. But, it is not the only one.
The work of the Regional Economic Development Council focused a spotlight on the opportunities available to those who choose career and technical programs, the road less traveled. As we seek to meet the needs of our students and our community, with all of the diverse ambitions and goals this implies, we must better understand and advocate for all educational pathways—especially those under our own roof.
I welcome your feedback on this important topic -- please visit my blog to share your thoughts.
Anne Kress
President's Office
10/05/2011 |