Community College Workforce Alliance’s Post

The FAFSA® experience is changing, so make sure you’re in the know. Some of the biggest changes to the online FAFSA form for 2024–25 are the ability to access the status of your FAFSA form in your StudentAid.gov account and the ability to have your FAFSA information sent to up to 20 colleges, career schools, or trade schools. https://lnkd.in/gFwAdDYB

Have you heard of California Training Benefits (CTB)? The CTB program allows you to attend school or training while receiving unemployment benefits. To participate, contact us through the America’s Job Center of California network. Learn more: edd.ca.gov/CTB.html #WorkingInCa #CalJOBS #CareerChange #CareerDevelopment #CareerGoals

It’s no secret that the trades are facing a skills gap crisis. The decades-long flight of young workers from trade careers and into white-collar work has led to a dearth of incoming talent at a time when many older workers are getting ready to retire. Long-held prejudice against the trades is part of the reason why, and it’s time community colleges changed the narrative. While we discuss this subject in our latest article, it’s also been a recurring theme on our blog for many years now. If you missed it, read our article “Community Colleges Are the Answer to the Skills Gap Crisis.” #careerreadiness #employabilityskills #skillsgap https://lnkd.in/gv2wJ8Xv

This is very concerning. Please review the Global News article. Then look in the comments on the StatsCan pdf describing overall certification rates of select trades and gender specific certification rates. I would like to know which provincial leaders and committees voted for the change in the ratios. This will hurt all trades only beginning the recovery from the paused training during the pandemic.

Have you heard of California Training Benefits (CTB)? The CTB program allows you to attend school or training while receiving unemployment benefits. To participate in the CTB program, contact us through the America’s Job Center of California network. 💼 Learn more: edd.ca.gov/CTB.html #WorkingInCa #CalJOBS #CareerChange #CareerDevelopment #CareerGoals

So important for providers to look at this

With Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) set to endure into the next parliament, this useful report from the Association of Colleges explores the initiative, areas for improvement and what is needed for success moving forward. The report highlights patchy success, with Employer Representative Bodies (ERB) - generally led and convened by Chambers of Commerce - having some success in identifying skills needs; albeit, in the absence of any overarching or coherent national view or strategy. There is also a focus on Colleges as the primary means of delivery, and the challenges centred on the divide between Capital (new buildings/equipment/infrastructure) and Revenue (staff and maintenance) expenditure - in sum, staff and expertise to deliver on the plans is in short-supply ... Accountability is also another area for improvement, with some observed confusion as to who is responsible for delivering on the LSIP and reporting progress. And, there are gaps in "checking" that employers are actually recruiting to the demand that is being set on their behalf within the plan. In sum, the local skills need is now starting to be understood, but there are clear challenges in moving from problem understanding to effective resolution ... Coverage also in FE Week (https://lnkd.in/e7cYtis6) with comment from David Hughes, and Jane Gratton (British Chambers of Commerce). #LSIPs #Localskills #colleges #employers #earnandlearn #post16education #skillsgaps #warfortalent

An update on the QLT, with clarity regarding accreditation and employability, read it here: https://lnkd.in/eH9QaMXv

Are you concerned about the national skills shortage, or do you have a vacancy which is 'hard to fill’? Do you have a problem recruiting suitably skilled staff? If so, please read our ‘Upskilling your way out of the West Midlands skills shortage’ report, which reviews the impact this is having and how businesses can address these issues. Sharing their thoughts, advice and insights are Tina McKenzie MBE of the Federation of Small Business, Emily Stubbs of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, and HCR’s Omer Simjee. You can read the report here: https://lnkd.in/dFyA8vDA #SkillsShortage #Employment #HCRBrum

Building and accelerating our region’s skilled trades pipeline is crucial in addressing an urgent housing affordability crisis. Education is foundational to this. The Ontario government’s recent announcement fast-tracking high school students into rewarding skilled trade careers is a welcome and important step in addressing an ongoing shortage of skilled trades workers in the province. With a laser focus on our region’s prosperity and livability, CivicAction looks forward to continuing to partner with stakeholders to strengthen coordination within the sector, support retention of talented workers, build safe workplaces for all, and identify solutions that can speed and scale our region’s skilled trades capacity - now and into the future