Student enrollment has increased as the job market has fallen. High school graduates and students returning after a lapse in enrollment account for the majority of the school’s population. Adults who never gave higher education a shot are now reconsidering their options because of the dismal job market. Whatever the reason is that they are going to college, one of them is due to being laid off and becoming one more American on the unemployment list
In August, Margarita Izquierdo, human services and counseling major at the Dale Mabry campus was let go from her job at a call center because the job was taken overseas.“I didn’t think this could happen to me,” said Izquierdo. “There’s a lot of competition out there.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the unemployment rate in the Tampa Bay area is 11.3 percent.In an effort to lower the unemployment rate, The State of Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, provides programs that assist people with training, one such program is the Workforce Investment Act.
The WIA provides the unemployed with the funds needed to get an associate of science degree and training, so they can return to the job market.
The goals of the WIA are to improve the nation’s productivity and competiveness, reduce welfare dependency and improve the workforce quality.
HCC has many specialized programs to help students prepare for a career in the business market or trade industry.
During the 2008 and 2009 school years, enrollment in technical programs was 9,718, a 16.2 percent increase from the previous year.
According to information provided by Ashley Carl, Excusive Director of Marketing and Public Relations the top associate in science degree programs for fall 2009 are criminal justice, technology, nursing and business administration.
Last year, criminal justice and business administration saw enrollment rise by more than 30 percent.
“Most jobs created over the next 10 years will require more than a high school diploma, but less than a bachelors degree, the type of jobs community colleges are designed to deliver, “said Carl.
In addition to technical programs, career centers can also assist students who are trying to obtain new jobs. Career centers offer students and the general public help with resume writing, interview tips and job placement.
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