Grants are now available for community colleges that would like to expand their offerings to include the Plus-50 Encore Completion program started by the American Association of Community Colleges. This program helps adults over the age of 50 find a new start in the workplace by training them up for in-demand industries today. The program is part of a larger initiative to increase the number of college graduates in the United States through 2020.
About the Plus-50 Encore Completion Program
The Plus-50 Encore Completion program was launched in 2008 to address the needs of baby boomers nearing retirement age. Many in that category were hit with the realization they would need to continue working into their retirement years, either for personal fulfillment or practical reasons. The program provides training for working adults to update their skills or learn completely new trades they can easily move into during their later years of employment.
The program is sponsored by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), through a $3.2 million grant provided by the Deerbrook Charitable Trust. In addition to implementing training programs for students in this age bracket, the initiative provides a way for community colleges to share ideas and plans for supporting adult students at community college campuses across the country. AACC has also engaged with an outside group to evaluate the success of the Plus-50 program, in order to assess its success and areas for improvement.
An independent evaluation of the Plus-50