New Guidebook Helps Students Successfully Navigate Community College

Education is one of the essential components to breaking the poverty cycle, according to studies. However, college completion rates for students from low-income households continue to be some of the most dismal rates nationwide. According to Spotlight on Poverty, just 34 percent of students from the lowest income bracket will even enroll in higher education. Of that number, only 11 percent will graduate with some degree. Clearly, this is not the pathway to the American Dream that our country’s leaders have envisioned.

If college completion rates are critical to raising families out of poverty in the U.S., something must be done to ensure more students from poor families are able to finish their education. This is the goal of a new three-year initiative from the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and the American Association of Community Colleges, in cooperation with the Open Society Foundations and the Ford, Lumina, Annie E. Casey, and Kresge Foundations. The Foundation Center reports that the Benefits Access for College Completion initiative is up and ready to roll at seven community colleges across the country.

About the Benefits Access for College Completion Initiative

The Benefits Access for College Completion initiative is the latest coordination to improve college completion rates by targeting low-income students. According to the website for CLASP, this initiative is designed to point low-income students to the services that will provide the financial support they need to make it through their college years.

Plenty of degree programs offer a better fit for those who aren’t cut out for office politics and team-building activities. Introverts will find a wealth of options at their local community college that prepares them for jobs where they can fly solo much of the time. Whether your passion is art or analytics, check out these community college options to launch a career that fits you to a “T.”

Accountant

If crunching numbers is your forte, the job of an accountant may be a good option. This career, which can be launched with an associate degree, provides many opportunities, from balancing the books for small businesses to huge corporations. These professionals keep company ledgers up to date, pay bills, and file taxes annually. It is a job that requires inordinate attention to detail – and plenty of solo office time. According to AOL Jobs, the average annual salary for an accountant is $61,690.

Paralegal

Fascinated by the legal profession? Introverts who love dabbling in law but cringe at the idea of representing a client in a courtroom might enjoy the paralegal role. These professionals often enter the industry with a two-year degree that prepares them to analyze legal documents, conduct research for a specific client, and write briefs. The job can also be a way to get a foot in the door to other interesting positions within the legal profession. AOL cites the average annual salary for a paralegal as $62,853.

Technical

Community colleges have come a long way since their inception. Instead of falling into the ranks of the “fallback” plan, many of these schools have now become the first choice for students looking to change career direction or explore higher education for the first time. With a focus on the community college system in recent years, the changes on these campuses have been even more pronounced, with a wider variety of degree programs, services, and even on-campus housing. Check out these five ways community colleges have evolved to become full-service institutions of higher education.

Greater Diversity in Degree Programs

Community colleges were typically known for their relatively generic liberal arts degree programs, but not any longer. Today’s students can choose from a wide range of two-year degrees, ranging from fine arts to engineering. Many of the degree programs at community colleges today are industry-centric, meaning they focus on training individuals for jobs in the local market. Schools even partner with employers in the community to ensure the training students receive at the community college can take them right into the workforce.

Some of the unique and interesting programs you might find at your local community college today include:

• Solar Energy Technology
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Performing Arts and Music
• Computer Engineering
• Exercise Science
• Nursing and Healthcare
• Manufacturing Engineering

Even fields like culinary arts, funeral home management, and criminal justice can be studied at some community colleges. No matter what you are interested in studying,

Pennsylvania is a state with a high unemployment rate and a large number of frustrated displaced workers. It is also a place where numerous industries are unable to fill positions because of the lack of untrained workers. How does the state plan to remedy these two problems quickly and effectively? Thanks to recent federal funding into the state’s community college system, training for in-demand jobs is on the way for Pennsylvania residents that need those jobs the most.

What is JobTrakPA?

JobTrakPA is a new Pennsylvania program created with federal dollars from the Department of Labor. The agency recently awarded the state a $20 million grant through the Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College Career Training (TACT) program. The program allows displaced Pennsylvania workers to train for in-demand jobs within the state by pairing community college course offerings directly with the needs of the community. The program has awarded grants to states across the country that demonstrated a need for job re-training and the necessary resources to provide the right kind of training to displaced workers in the community.

“Pennsylvania employers tell us that they have jobs waiting for workers with career-specific skills in several high-growth industries,” Dr. Alex Johnson, president of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges, told the Herald Online. “Community colleges are part of a nationwide effort to provide a new skill-set to our workforce that will create career pathways for qualified workers in the shortest possible