COLLEGES TO FOCUS ON JOB SKILLS.Byline: Jason Takenouchi Staff Writer A coalition of community colleges - including Antelope Valley College Antelope Valley College is a comprehensive community college located in Lancaster, California, USA. It is operated by the Antelope Valley Community College District, with a primary service area of 1,945 square miles covering portions of Los Angeles and Kern counties. - released a plan Tuesday to align occupational courses more closely with business needs. The 2000 Regional Economic Development Plan, sponsored by the eight- member Community College Training Connection, listed top industries in each college's labor market labor market A place where labor is exchanged for wages; an LM is defined by geography, education and technical expertise, occupation, licensure or certification requirements, and job experience and gave recommendations on how to better prepare workers for professions in those fields. Top growth industries identified in the report include computer support, health care, education and law enforcement. The study also concluded that work habits, communication skills and math skills top the list of employers' needs. The 113-page study by the Ventura-based Lawson Consulting Group was the centerpiece of a one-day economic development conference at the Ventura Beach Hotel. Officials from several private employers also discussed their industries, and job prospects in those industries, at the CCTC-sponsored event. William Lawson William Lawson (2 June1774 – 16 June1850) was an explorer of New South Wales, Australia who co-discovered a passage inland through the Blue Mountains from Sydney. , the report's primary author, said he hopes the plan's findings will help colleges target resources and courses to jobs with high demand. ``If an economy is going to function, employers have to create jobs. And the jobs will require trained people,'' he said. Lawson's recommendations included adding more associate degree and certificate programs for fast-growing professions such as registered nursing, computer support, legal assistants and physical therapists. He also suggested that colleges offer more courses geared to ``workplace skill standards'' for particular employers such as Cisco, Toyota and other firms. The importance of job training is growing as labor shortages grow more acute, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Joe McClure, executive director of the Economic Development Collaborative - Ventura County. And when it comes to economic development, he said, labor needs have overtaken the demand for capital investment. ``It's that human capital that just isn't available right now,'' McClure told a representatives from colleges, businesses and government agencies Tuesday. Gina LaMonica, dean of occupational programs for College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. , said the report confirmed the importance of employment-centered curriculum. The study also underscored the need to expand vocational education into new industries, she said. ``I'm seeing there are jobs, especially in health care, where people can make large sums of money without bachelor's degrees,'' she said. CCTC CCTC California Commission on Teacher Credentialing CCTC Canadian Council for Tobacco Control CCTC Central Carolina Technical College CCTC Consortium of College Testing Centers CCTC Certified Clinical Transplant Coordinator CCTC Comanche County Telephone Co., Inc. member colleges include Ventura College, Moorpark College, College of the Canyons, Antelope Valley College, Oxnard College, Cuesta College, Santa Barbara City College As of 2004, total enrollment of full-time and part-time students reached 17,000. It is currently led by President John Romo, who will be retiring at the end of Spring 2008 after seven years with the institution. and Allan Hancock College Allan Hancock College is a California public community college located in Santa Maria in northern Santa Barbara County. Approximately 13,000 credit and more than 5,500 noncredit and community services students enroll each semester. . |
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