Tammy Brownlow: Linking Education and Economic Development
Published in the April 19 – May 2, 2017 issue of Gilroy Life
By Tammy Brownlow
Tammy Brownlow
Quality education is critical to a community’s economic well-being. Businesses look for communities where they can find a high caliber workforce. With increased global competition and technological changes in services and manufacturing processes, a new mix of specialized workforce skills are now being sought by employers. A well-trained workforce can give a community a competitive advantage in business attraction and retention. Economic development alliances with community colleges and K-12 educators are important linkages to strengthen the local workforce and match the needs of employers.
The breadth of offerings at Gavilan Community College include not only the ability to complete the first two years of a Bachelor degree program, but the ability to continue with career technical education at a higher level. The college also offers programs to the community for self improvement and customized training to area businesses. Gavilan is one of the strongest community colleges in the state in terms of financial stability and a leader in developing practices that improve student success.
Recently, Gavilan received nearly $1 million from the California Strong Workforce Program for the upcoming academic year to expand Career Technical Education programs leading to high demand, high wage jobs within the region. The California Strong Workforce goal to create one million more middle-skilled workers is a partnership with the state’s 113 community colleges. A task force, convened by Gavilan’s President, Dr. Kathleen Rose, recommended new training programs in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, unmanned aircraft systems, hospitality, and a pilot project in phlebotomy. The college has a 26 percent enrollment of CTE students with an overall 80 percent success rate. Each year the number of certificates and degrees awarded has increased, from 382 in 2014 to 403 in 2016.
Workforce development and economic development are likely to face some serious challenges in the next 10 years as more baby boomers retire and global competition grows. A 21st century workforce ready to meet these challenges will not evolve in a system where students are failing and others are not making smart choices about career paths. A solid business and education partnership can help create a model that both prepares students for college and for smart technical career choices. Success in this partnership translates to a prepared workforce that businesses can count on.
Tammy Brownlow is the president of the GEDC. For more information, contact her at (408) 847-7611 or email [email protected].
