Higher Education in Plymouth County

In the Plymouth County region, a rich constellation of colleges creates opportunity in the face of a challenging economy.

Individuals and businesses all over the country have had to take a long, hard look at how to position themselves for survival. In Plymouth County, both are finding that education

Area schools are taking a pro-active role in helping students increase their marketability to employers. At the same time, they are also helping employers recruit, train and retain high quality employees.

Jordan Hospital in Plymouth is one of many businesses that have partnered with schools to improve its own training methods.

"There are many post-secondary resources in our community," noted Ross Verna, Vice President of Clinical and Support Services at Jordan. "They're the educators, we're not; but we do a lot of educating here. They have been consistently receptive in assisting us. They provide the tools we need to help us be better educators for our employees. It pays to tap into these schools."

At Massasoit Community College in Brockton a public/private partnership resulted in a certificate program designed to increase the ranks of qualified applicants in an industry desperate for employees.

"The Marine Trades Association approached us to help them address a shortage of technicians in their industry," said Charles Wall, President of Massasoit. "We jumped in and developed a non-credit training program. We're very excited about this partnership. It prepares students to succeed in an area where there is a lot of demand for employees."

Ray Gaffey, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association, couldn't agree more. "We need employees, and it's very difficult to find them. The first season our courses were offered we had 22 students. I am overwhelmed by the response we've gotten this season. Now we are at capacity with 25 students, plus we have a waiting list, and Massasoit told us we could have put in another 30 students. It has been an ideal situation working with them."

Massasoit's Professional Development Center reaches out to employers and agencies to provide credit and non-credit courses to meet their specific needs.

Richard Cost, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Bridgewater State College, noted his institution's efforts to fill the demand for continuing education and workforce training.

"In the next two or three years, that's probably going to be one of the greatest areas of growth. We're gearing up to meet the needs of corporations and individuals. We can deliver courses at a corporate location, through televised facilities, distance learning and here at the John Joseph Moakley Center for Technological Applications."

More than $10 million in Federal funding went into the Moakley Center and the college's electronic networking initiative. Every classroom, dorm room and office on campus is wired for voice, video and data transmission. Bridgewater earned 50th place in Yahoo's 100 Most Wired Colleges in America. Harvard came in at number 58.

The Moakley Center helps bring teachers up to speed on how to use technology to its full potential in the classroom. While a large number of schools have wired their classrooms, many teachers have not received training they need to use the tools effectively. Here is where they can build a solid foundation with hands-on experience. the Center offers an impressive array of workshops, seminars and noncredit training programs to individuals and businesses.

The colleges in the Plymouth County region make non-credit courses available to those who wish to fill a specific need for expertise for their current job, to qualify them for promotion, or even to switch careers. Some students may not be able to assume the time commitment a degree requires, and non-credit courses help bridge the gap. Schools can tailor non-credit courses to address a specific aspect of a subject, such as newly mandated hospital protocol, or the latest programming languages in a variety of high-tech industries.

The new Center for Academic and Professional Excellence at Stonehill College in Easton offers career services and a responsive ear for community and business needs.

"A town administrator from Rockland said he'd like to see a grant writing class, said Darlene Marks, Director of Community and Professional Education at Stonehill College. "We have a grant writer right here at Stonehill who has taught these classes before, and we set up a class with her. A town administrator in Easton said he needed his employees to be able to design web pages. There were 12 of them signing up, so we created their own class, tailoring it exactly to what they were doing on their website. We are always willing to hear what the community would like us to help them with."

At the same time, many schools are experiencing renewed interest from students and businesses in full degree programs, from baccalaureates to doctorates, that offer a rich background in core studies.

"Recent accreditation changes require business schools to provide liberal arts courses as well as straight business courses," said Laura Mills-Lewis, Director of Career Services at Stonehill. "We already have those standards in place, and we can offer those core classes. Our students are writing better, speaking better and presenting better, and are in general more well-rounded candidates for employers."

Students also learn about the essential art of building good relationships. The school's success at modeling that behavior in good economic times with the business community has helped Stonehill navigate more challenging climates.

"We work hard to develop relationships strong enough to weather economic downturns," said Ms. Mills-Lewis. "An employer who recently went through a lot of layoffs was on our campus recruiting because they had such good luck with us when times were better. They know we provide well-rounded students who are prepared for business professions."

Ms. Mills-Lewis coaches those wrestling with career questions to build good relationships which can lead to a lively network they may come to depend on down the road.

"One of the things employers and employees forget is that the way you terminate a relationship is as important as how you initiate a relationship. Networking is more important now than ever. In ripe times, you should be cultivating it. In down times, you're going to be relying on it."

Schools with satellite campuses offer a portal to even more resources outside the immediate area. For example, the University of Massachusetts recently set up a satellite campus in Plymouth.

"We hope to engage the business community to help us design courses that will be of use to their employees," said Dirk Messelaar, Dean of Corporate and Distance Continuing Education. "We can tailor courses to individual businesses at our facility, or deliver them in various distance learning formats directly to their desktops, over the web or via interactive TV."

Dual-campus Quincy College in Plymouth allows students to enjoy the low-key environment of a small school, or experience an urban setting at its larger Quincy location.

"Our Plymouth campus is a welcoming place for late-start learners," said Tom Desantes, Director of Media Relations at Quincy. "Older students don't feel out of place because they're not just competing with full-time, 18-year-old students. If students can't take a class one semester, they don't have to wait a year for it to come around again; they can probably find it at our Quincy location."

Educational institutions have been wisely proactive in meeting the needs of an evolving student population.

There is no such thing as a typical student or employee any longer. People of all ages and backgrounds are turning-and in many cases returning-to area schools to pick up new skills or hone existing ones to make themselves more competitive in the job market.

The array of certificates, workshops and degrees available at every level has attracted a welcoming diversity of students.

"People used to stay in the same job for 30 years. Today, that's a rarity," said Carol Crocker, Interim Director at Curry College in Plymouth. "Some come to us later in life, determined to pursue something they've always wanted to do. We now have all disciplines, all walks of life, people ages 16 to 60. Most people like that. It's like walking down the street: You see every kind of person here."

Ms. Mills-Lewis finds a similar environment at Stonehill College. "Traditionally, we have focused on seniors. Now we have more alumni coming in, or those recently laid off and seeking career guidance. They're at a crossroads."

Schools around the country are feeling the pinch as states tighten their fiscal belts. Many area schools have had to respond quickly to mid-season budget cuts, doing their best to maintain the high quality of their offerings and shield students from its effects. The beauty of many continuing education and workforce development programs is that they are self-funded, so the revenue resulting from those programs gets reinvested in the schools and their students, whereas in the case of many schools, the state lays claim to a healthy chunk of regular tuition revenues.

"We're looking very hard at expenses," said Bridgewater's Mr. Cost. "We're creating the same kind of fundraising programs you find more typically in private colleges. We're growing continuing education programs where funding does not go back to the state. There are years you will cut and years you will build. It's a cyclical thing, but if you have a consistent vision before you, you will succeed."