America's Perfect Storm: A Future Focus for BTC
Fifteen percent (15%) of Whatcom County’s population lives at or below the poverty level. Eighteen percent (18%) of working adults do not have their GED or high school diploma. Between 1995 and 2005, the high school dropout rate for the County increased by 56.2%. And, the federal Department of Labor is forecasting that by the year 2030, this nation will face a labor shortage of 35 million workers triggered in part by baby-boomer retirements. We have lots of people to fill vacant jobs but they lack the technical skills and training to do the work.
BTC’s solution is to provide greater access to education through technology and thereby increase full-time enrollment numbers by 33% or 1,000 students over a 5 year period. One of the plan’s key goals is to recruit students from underserved populations—Russian and Hispanic immigrants, working adults and those without a high school diploma—and enroll them in basic academic, English-as-a-second-language (ESL) and career track programs.
Studies, surveys and reports all point conclusively to several barriers that prevent people from pursuing an education. Language is one such barrier as is the cost of transportation to and from campus. Navigating financial aid, registration, career counseling and pre-placement testing—particularly for first-generation students or those who have difficulty speaking English—can also prove daunting while others need classes that are offered in the evenings or on weekends to avoid work schedule conflicts.
One of the best ways to overcome these barriers is to set up remote classrooms and labs equipped with state-of-the-art computers, audiovisual equipment, and the ancillary apparatus required to do distance learning. Classrooms will be staffed by a Program Coordinator and instructors and courses will be taught using a combination of e-learning, classroom instruction and on-campus lab work. Emphasis will be placed on providing both basic and certificate or degree classes simultaneously so that students can graduate sooner. The BTC Foundation Board of Directors has agreed to raise $1 million for this initiative.
Working with partner agencies, business and government, our aim is to leverage the community’s resources and expertise so we can better help low-income adults increase their wages and improve their economic status. Providing students with a viable pathway that leads to a good-wage job means they are much more likely to pursue an education, especially if it can be done close to home, after work, and with the aid of comprehensive student support services.