With all the options available to consider for workforce development training, it can be overwhelming trying to decide what is best for your system. There are different training providers, all with different approaches to closing the skills gap. The California community college system is in a tough position and is being called upon to help the state solve a high unemployment rate, an achievement gap, a need to reskill workers, and a shortage of tech talent. Part of this is due to a global pandemic but it can also be attributed to the digitization of our daily lives and the need for digital skills. Technical literacy is more important than ever.
Thankfully, the state of California has set aside additional budget money for more workforce development programs. This funding is to assist in getting people into jobs as well as increasing the marketable skills of adults in California. As stated by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, “Short-term workforce training programs created in partnership with employers will be a crucial priority in the recovery.” This is exactly what we do. We are a high-quality, low-cost skills-based training program that scales, and that partners with community colleges to help them deliver on their goals.
Why Now is the Time to Adopt Competency-based Education for Career and Technical Education
Career and technical educational programs are often naturally competency-based and skills-based, but this is not always the case. Carpentry, for example, largely requires students to actually work with wood, to deliver various projects, and to develop the real hands-on skills in woodworking. Programs are based in experiential learning and in building competencies so that students are ready to perform on the job.
There are a number of reasons why an institution decides to implement CBE program including the following:
- Expand access for non-traditional learners
- Response to workforce needs
- Desire to improve learning outcomes
- Desire to lower tuition
- Desire to enhance student employability
- Desire to improve completion rates
- Desire to increase enrollment
- Desire to part of a broader initiative on educational innovation
With the latest newsletter from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, there is a sense of urgency to use the workforce development budget for competency-based education programs. The incentive of giving adult learners in California an equal opportunity for new skill acquisition is enough to motivate an institution. By understanding the importance of technical education, we have developed our programs to suit learners from all backgrounds and skill levels. As a skills-based training program, we are a great resource for California Community Colleges in their efforts to retrain and reskill.
There is a timely combination of unemployment, underemployment, and open software jobs in the state, meaning there's an incredible opportunity for community colleges to serve their local populations specifically in training more software engineers:- As of June 2021, there are 1,4569,000 people in California that are unemployed.
- As of July 2021, there are 1,433,800 unemployed people in California
- 37,206 Software Engineer jobs in California
- As of May 2021, 6.1% of the California population is underemployed, discouraged, or marginally attached.
The Importance of Technical Education: Skills and Competencies that Matter for Graduates
Some of the most in-demand skills for the 21st century are problem solving and critical thinking, creativity and innovation, communication, collaboration and teamwork, resourcefulness, ability to handle complexity and complex models, and flexibility. These are skills that cannot be gained using traditional knowledge-delivery learning models. The approach that effectively teaches 21st-century skills is competency-based learning. This idea is supported by the Competency Based Education Network through many resources.
In a recent article, we dove into each of the eight elements of competency based education as defined by Competency Based Education Network. Within each of these elements are principles, standards, and performance indicators. These form the basis of each program that implements this style of learning and detail the necessary components of competency-based education. They focus on how each student should have a well-rounded and personalized approach to learning with the necessary support in place to complement their success. Student learning outcomes are important and rely on these eight elements in place for a successful implementation of competency based learning. Commitment to the program is crucial from the very beginning as well as a strong foundation in the development of the program design. The learner experience, including continuous improvement and engaging with partners are important concepts to understand when adopting a competency based approach. In these elements, some organizations or institutions will need to come together and draw upon resources to successfully adopt a competency based education program.
Further, employers want clear technical skills that are not just surface level. Job descriptions provide a nice list of common hard skills employers demand. These skill trends form the basis for our curricula and how we work with community colleges.
The California community college system has recognized that, “To ensure the effectiveness of short-term workforce training, colleges must provide the appropriate skills and competencies that match job requirements and ensure in-demand skills are incorporated into the training.” Employers are looking to fill job vacancies with skilled workers from career and technical training programs - many have already come to us and asked to recruit from our programs because the skill level matches what they are looking for in a way that is far superior to bootcamps and other programs.
The student-centered approach to learning is what we incorporate into our programs. Our programs are developed with the end in mind. Essentially, we start by looking at job descriptions and work backwards so that learners are ready for the workplace. We prepare students for what they will need to know once they complete the program. Here is a comparison of some sample job descriptions and what is covered in our curricula:
|
|
Covered in the Qwasar Curriculum
|
|
|
Covered in the Qwasar Curriculum
|
|
|
Covered in the Qwasar Curriculum
|
California Community College Strong Workforce Program
The Strong Workforce program is another component of the California Community College system that enhances the careers of graduates. As stated in the 2021 mandate, there will be an, “Ongoing annual increase of $42.4 million......The increase affords colleges the ability to utilize funds for additional innovation in CTE programs.” Colleges have the opportunities to deliver, and also to form partnerships, to increase Career and Technical Education (CTE) that’s competency-based, including creating apprenticeships programs and adult education. They are being encouraged to serve the populations who are historically underrepresented and engage with new employers.
This ties seamlessly into our tech talent training programs for adult learners that are competency-based and skills-based. Our tracks are suited to learners looking to get into a variety of tech fields and we provide flexibility to colleges through credit and not-for-credit programs.
Tech is an occupational sector with a great outlook for job opportunities over the next 10 years. Here are some of the statistics for the future of tech employment:
- 22% growth in software development and engineering employment
- 27.9% rise in demand data science jobs
- 22% growth in devops/cloud engineering market
- 20 million artificial intelligence jobs by 2023
Our programs are a great way to increase the participation rates in higher education, which is a goal for California Community colleges. Another major goal as mentioned in the mandate is to, “Support short-term workforce training with flexible pathways that meet regional employer workforce needs and leads to job growth, retention, or placement, with a clear strategy to credentials incorporating credit for prior learning.”
Our programs in partnership with community colleges create an opportunity to participate in higher education and create pathways to employment by meeting the talent needs of hiring organizations in California. We train students to current employer needs and provide opportunities for advancement in career and economic status. Adults with a set of skills can be retrained and encouraged to achieve greatness in new career areas. Closing the achievement gap (thanks to competency-based and skills-based learning models) enables all learners the opportunities to obtain jobs in the fields they desire.
California Apprenticeship Initiative (CAI)
The budget for the state of California was doubled to $30 million for apprenticeship initiatives. The California Community College Chancellor Office’s report states, “Governor Gavin Newsom set an ambitious goal of reaching 500,000 active apprentices by 2029.” They are hoping to increase apprenticeships in non-traditional fields. Some of those sectors include innovative fields like information technology and cloud computing. Our students are often involved in apprenticeship programs throughout these organizations in the tech industry because our programs are a source of skilled talent and prime apprenticeship candidates.
Our programs can be used as pre-apprenticeship programs that increase the efficacy of apprenticeships in tech. They are highly effective at creating career pathways and on-the-job readiness. More employers are inclined to do apprenticeships when they have graduates out of our program because it is competency-based learning, skills-based, and aligned to what will be done in a job. In the larger picture, these programs will create more apprenticeships regionally. It is also a great way for students to develop and enhance their technical portfolios.
Employment Outlook for Technical Education Graduates
Another major benefit of partnering with a tech talent program provider is the opportunity to enhance the employability of California residents. Students are attracted to training programs that are skills-based, flexible, and offer an opportunity to advance their careers with promising jobs and livable wages. What's more is that entry-level jobs are gateways to a long-term career and an opportunity for upward mobility and advancement.
The shortage of skilled tech talent is a huge factor in unfilled tech jobs, and combined with the growing need for tech employees, there are without a doubt opportunities for skilled talent in California. The challenge for employers is filling those jobs due to the skills gap and the challenge for learners can be finding a program that is skills-based and trains to the level that employers are looking for.
Those programs, such as ours, who train and match skilled candidates with employers in need of tech talent, will be highly successful in attracting learners, driving enrollment, closing the skills gap, and helping more California residents get into the tech industry without a 4-year degree or significant student debt.
How Our Programs Are Innovative and Differ From Bootcamps
As a tech talent training provider, we are responsive to the needs of tech jobs and job trends. We use skills-based and competency-based programs because that's what is required to develop what employers are looking for in their tech talent. We are entirely remote and self-paced, so learning can happen anywhere. We are suited for students with families, minorities students, economically disadvantaged students, learners with full-time jobs, and more. Our programs can be completed in as little as 9 - 12 months. The very nature of these programs are innovative compared to standard, lecture-based models that aren't flexible, aren't skills-based, and aren't competency-based.
Our learning fits seamlessly into a community college education, particularly as not-for-credit courses under workforce development. Our programs cost 1/5th to 1/10th of the cost of a coding bootcamp such as General Assembly, Lambda School, Codex, or Trilogy Education, putting them at an affordable price point for community college students.
Unlike other bootcamp or program providers, our programs focus on job readiness, training to a high skill level, and using competency-based learning to drive on-the-job success. We also use an unmatched technical interview preparation program (TIPP) to prepare for learners for technical interviews, whiteboard challenges, and coding challenges, things that are often barriers for graduates of other programs. Future employers are impressed with the capabilities of a Qwasar graduate and how prepared they are from their technical education. Overall, our programs are tailored around the importance of technical education and training to the standards required by employers.
Competency-based Education in CTE in California
California Community Colleges have many goals over the next few years. Recently, they have been granted the funding to make fundamental educational changes that will affect the landscape of community colleges forever. The goal of partnering with workforce development initiatives is where we come in. A program that is worth implementing in the California Community College system is one that is skills-based, and incorporates the aspects competency-based learning. These are the ones that are worth investing time into as they will yield the greatest results for the learners in their region. Our programs can provide California community college students with the digital skills necessary to fill jobs and provide opportunities to students who deserve it. Partnerships with external providers is the most fundamental way for community colleges to reap the benefits of technical education and learn new perspectives on education.
