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Community Workforce
Development Initiatives at SCCC |
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 Integral
to the mission of every community college is workforce development. In
truth, as commuter institutions, almost everything we do is workforce development.
All of our degree programs prepare our students for work, either immediately or
else after earning an advanced degree. Many of our non-credit courses prepare
individuals to earn supplemental income. And our contractual courses prepare employees
for changes within their jobs or for promotional opportunities within their companies.
The Partnership consists of SCCC, the Chamber, seven public school districts, one parochial school, an assortment of human service agencies, and several businesses. In response to community needs, the Partnership has established two priority initiatives: the Career Expo and the Certificate of Employability. Locally, our public school superintendents meet on a monthly basis. Because of their involvement and awareness of the capabilities of the Business & Education Partnership, the superintendents group asked the Partnership to develop a special Career project that would help to prepare high school students for jobs after graduation and/or for entry into higher education that is directed at specific career goals. The response from the Partnership, acting in collaboration with the superintendents, is the Career Expo.
In March 2004, 112 panelists from throughout our community presented to 1288 high school sophomores from Schenectady County schools. In March 2005, more than 125 panelists presented to more than 1500 high school sophomores.
Follow-up surveys about the first Career Expo indicated that prior to the Career Expo, only 45% of students were aware of career opportunities that were available to them within Schenectady County. 79% felthey learned information at the Expo that they will consider when selecting and planning for a career. And, 75% would be interested in a job shadowing or internship experience in a specific career area. Likewise, teachers were pleased with the program and its focus on helping students prepare for work. And all seven school superintendents committed fiscal support to continue the Career Expo into the future. The Certificate of Employability A subset of the Career Expo and the second initiative of the Business & Education Partnership is the Certificate of Employability. Based upon the work of the SCANS Commission, which identified the soft skills employers most desire in new employees, the Schenectady County Certificate of Employability is another form of workforce development in which SCCC plays a major role.
The College proposed the concept of the Certificate of Employability (COE) to the Business & Education partnership as a means of (1) enhancing the County's ability to attract new businesses and (2) preparing youth and adults for the work world. The Partnership adopted the COE as a priority, and a special task force chaired by an SCCC administrator reviewed the various forms of COE in existence within New York State and across the nation. In the end, the task force recommended a two-tiered COE: The Basic COE, which targets youth and adults who are preparing for their first part-time jobs, and the Advanced COE, which targets those who are preparing for full-time work.
The Advanced COE is a 6-lesson review of the requisite soft skills, but in seminar fashion, where students discuss implementation of the soft skills on the job and incidents in which failure to apply the soft skills resulted in undesirable consequences. Most important, the Advanced COE requires an employer evaluation of each student's demonstration of soft skills on the job. This evaluation verifies for future employers that the student has demonstrated good employee skills and is a good risk for a full-time job. The Basic COE curriculum was beta-tested in three public schools and one agency. Then, it was revised to ensure that both appropriate and alternative activities were included for teacher use in achieving each standard. In no beta test did all students earn the COE. An average of 30% of students failed to achieve the COE, generally based upon inability to demonstrate the desired soft skills. Thus, the COE is not an attendance-based, give-away certificate. However, those who did not achieve the COE are eligible to retrain in subsequent classes. All seven school districts in the Business & Education Partnership will implement the new COE curriculum beginning in September 2005. Teacher training will occur in late May 2005. One district has established earning the COE as a graduation requirement for students who enter high school as freshmen in 2005.
The COE initiative has also developed a web site where teachers, students, parents, and businesses can review the standards, identify the participating schools and agencies, and identify the businesses which will give special employment consideration to students who present the COE wallet-sized card during the interview process. Visit us at www.schdy-coe.org to learn more (but remember that it is still a work in progress!).
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At
Schenectady County Community College, our Office of Workforce Development
is heavily involved (as its very name would imply) in workforce development activities.
SCCC is represented on the 
A
special community initiative, in which SCCC is involved, began approximately twelve
years ago as a School-to-Work Grant, funded by New York State. In that
project, the College played a major role in grant writing and project leadership.
After the grant funding dried-up, the School-to-Work group decided to continue,
first changing its name to School-to-Careers and, finally, to the Business
& Education Partnership. It is housed at the 
Career
Expo targets high school sophomores with an extended and focused career
exploration activity that spans several months and culminates in a day long event
at SCCC, held in March, during the College's Spring Break. Implemented for the
first time in March 2004, the Career Expo actually begins in the high school in
early December, when students complete an interest survey provided by the
NYS Department of Labor on its 
Armed
with information about themselves and potential careers of individual interest,
students are bussed by their home school districts to SCCC in March. After a brief
orientation session, students move to career area panel sessions, where
they hear from community businessmen and women about their typical workday,
the good and bad aspects of their professions, anticipated salary levels,
and what educational and employment tracks led the panelists to their current
occupations. Students have ample time to ask questions. In the weeks following
the Career Expo at SCCC, students participate in follow-up activities with their
teachers, focusing upon the paths they need to follow to achieve their individual
career goals. 
Of
special note, the Career Expo is not funded by any form of special grant. Instead,
each school district provides funding at the rate of 50 cents per student,
counting the entire district enrollment, not just the sophomores. The College
and other participating agencies contribute a like amount. And Chamber of Commerce
staff garner sponsorship support from larger local businesses, and sell advertising
in the brochures which are distributed to students, panelists, teachers, and counselors.
Of course, almost everyone is a volunteer, and the in-kind cost of staff time
to plan and implement the project is part of the College's community service.
In
discussions held over a two year period by the College with NYS and County Economic
Developers, it was learned that one primary factor considered by large businesses
when exploring locations for new manufacturing and distribution centers is the
availability of an educated and trainable workforce. Small and ancillary businesses
that emerge as a result of the arrival of new, larger businesses seek the same
thing: employees who understand the work environment; demonstrate customer service,
work authority and protocols; and are educated and trainable.
The
Basic COE consists of a specific set of standards which are delineated
in a printed curriculum. In order to teach this 10-lesson curriculum, teachers
from the seven participating school districts and participating agencies must
be trained. The curriculum focuses upon teaching students about the soft skills
that employers seek in new employees, and then observing students who must
demonstrate those skills in order to be certified.
The
COE sub-committee also established a business advisory committee, which
has met three times over the past 18 months to review the curriculum development
progress and to redirect activities toward the needs of local employers. Five
businesses, which are large employers of area youth, have already indicated
full support of the COE initiative and will serve as panelists at a special Chamber
Breakfast, to be held in late April 2005, during which the COE will be formally
rolled out to the business community. 
Schenectady
County Community College is proud of its involvement in these special workforce
development activities which hold promise for youth and businesses in Schenectady
County. Our leadership in these and other workforce initiatives keeps us highly
visible as a valuable community resource.