Tag Archives: Community Colleges

Get Your Distance Degree And Stay Employed In A Bad Economy!

Adults and young adults are reportedly setting out for career training at a time when unemployment rates are high, the economy is sluggish and record numbers of students are completing high school. What many are finding is that the flexibility of distance college is allowing them to get their college degrees online as they continue their life obligations.

Community colleges that offer associate degrees are experiencing growth and soaring enrollments online and on campus. Several are targeting programs to local business needs and worldwide 21st century demands, according to reports.

Some 3.1 million young adults ages 18 to 24 were enrolled in community college in October 2007, a number that by 2008 climbed to 3.4 million, the Pew Research Center reported. In Rhode Island, the state’s community college is experiencing what it calls its second highest enrollment in its history, the Providence Journal reported. In Michigan, community college enrollment accounts for 44 percent of all U.S. college enrollments, according to a WWJ Radio Great Lakes IT Report.

The number of young adults ages 18 to 24 enrolled in community college climbed from 3.1 million in October 2007 to 3.4 million in 2008, according to the Pew Research Center. In states such as Rhode Island and Michigan, community college enrollment is reportedly reaching record rates at colleges and comprising nearly half of all enrollments throughout the country, reports from the Providence Journal and the Great Lakes IT Report suggest.

Students also are turning to online community college offerings in substantial numbers, a Sloan Consortium report noted. Their enrollments over a five-year period accounted for more than half of all online college course enrollments, with nearly 2 million students in fall 2006 taking at least one online associate degree program class, according to the report published in 2007.

A Bureau of Labor Statistics report forecasts that occupations requiring some advanced education are to experience higher growth rates into 2018 than those that call for on-the-job training and that positions requiring associate degrees category are to see higher growth rates. The report listed medical and physical therapy assistants, home health and personal and home care aides, physical therapy aides, dental hygienists, veterinary technicians and dental among the fastest growth positions that require an associate degree or less, with median annual earnings that in 2008 ranged from $19,180 to $46,140. This is not surprising as baby boomers, a large percentage of the population, age.

Rhode Island’s community college is working to help prepare students for current and future job demands locally and statewide, the Providence Journal noted. In Kentucky, a business publication known as the Lane Report in May told of a growing college program that breaks down barriers to higher education by bringing classes to students, in some instances at their place of work. The program, which is considered accelerated, allows students to earn an associate degree in as few as 20 months, the Lane Report noted.

Facilitating the convenience of earning your online diploma is the flexibility of the programs. They simply fit into the hectic lifestyles most are living today. Continuing on, careerists are finding they can participate in your bachelor of science, even at the height of their busiest work days. For more information about on line degrees, check the internet.

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