Community Update

August 2024

Meet MSSC'S Newest Marketing Coordinator, Meghan Maurer

MSSC is pleased to welcome Meghan Maurer to the Marketing team. As a Marketing Coordinator, Meghan hopes to bring a fresh perspective and a wealth of creativity to MSSC projects. With a background in marketing, social media, digital publication, and storytelling, Meghan is ready to dive into campaign planning, content creation, and strategy development. We're confident that Meghan's enthusiasm and expertise will be a great addition to our efforts to drive engagement with our MSSC Community. Welcome aboard, Meghan!

NCATC 2024 Conference

If you haven't yet registered for next month's National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers (NCATC) 2024 Conference, what are you waiting for? Three full days of innovative speakers, industry tours, and unparalleled peer networking opportunities. And be sure to stop by our sponsor table.

NCATC is an Affiliated Council of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) catalyzing a network of higher education and industry-led Strategic Partner resources that advocates, advises, and promotes the use of advanced technology applications to enhance economic and workforce development programs and services. Reserve your spot here.

DMA'S Second Annual Supply Chain Summit & EXPO, featuring Steve Harrington

If you intend to attend next month's Distribution Management Association of Southern California Summit & Expo, be sure to catch MSSC Workforce Development Strategist Steve Harrington's session for a dialogue on trends leading the supply chain's adoption of automation, and where we go from here! Register here!

The TechEd Podcast, featuring Leo Reddy

Last month, the TechEd Podcast dove into MSSC Co-Founder and President Leo Reddy's former career as a U.S. diplomat working the NATO desk during the Cold War.

From serving as a gunnery officer in the Navy to playing a pivotal role in the Cold War, Leo Reddy’s journey is nothing short of fascinating. Hear about his influential work with the Helsinki Accords, a historic series of agreements that sought to ease tensions between the Soviet Union and the West during the Cold War. His firsthand account of working alongside iconic leaders like President Ronald Reagan and Henry Kissinger provides unparalleled insights into the high-stakes world of international diplomacy.

Stream the episode here.

House and Senate on Recess

The House and Senate are out of session for the month of August and will spend time in their states and districts. This is an excellent time to connect with your lawmakers and advocate for CTE, especially as back-to-school activities and preparation commence.

Senator Warren Introduces Legislation to Codify Chevron Doctrine

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) recently introduced the Stop Corporate Capture Act, which would require federal courts to give deference to agencies’ reasonable interpretation of ambiguous statutes. This is relevant to the education community because the overturning of Chevron deference could dramatically impact the power the Department of Education has to issue regulations affecting states. Read more here.

Fresh Take on Community College Workforce Certificates

Lorain County Community College’s Fast Tracks, a collection of workforce-aligned, credit, and non-credit certificate programs, offered individuals access to over fifty workforce-aligned programs designed for completion in as little as sixteen weeks and at no cost to the student. LCCC primarily leveraged state-based grants, community partnerships, and other financial supports, such as scholarships, to ensure students could take the first step toward a new career without incurring costs. More here.

How Economic Shifts And Sustainability Needs Are Redefining Jobs

The future of work is shaped by rapid technological advancements, changing economic landscapes and the growing need for sustainability—consequently, strong leadership and innovative research are essential to navigate the complexities of the modern labor market. Notably, approaches on both sides of the Atlantic differ in tackling these challenges. More information here.

Fortifying America’s Future: Pathways for Competitiveness

Report published by The Aspen Strategy Group at the Aspen Institute includes recommendations from thinkers throughout business, education, nonprofit and national security sectors to strengthen the U.S. education system, protect national competitiveness and identify key industries like semiconductor manufacturing. Top recommendations:

•  Leverage the national security community’s bipartisan support to create a sense of urgency in improving the U.S. education and career pathway ecosystem. Combine funding streams to promote work-based learning, flexibility of public-private partnerships and better coordination of high-quality pathways beginning in K-12.
• Since 92% of future careers need digital skills, promote STEM mastery and computer science through evidence-based practices. Learners with high exposure to technology-related topics are 2.6 times more likely to declare a STEM major and 5.3 times more likely to eventually be employed in a STEM field. Read the report.  

Department of Labor Shares Apprenticeship Connections Newsletter

The Department of Labor shared their Apprenticeship Connections Newsletter to provide updates on new technical assistance resources, grantee reporting updates and reminders, grantee projects and innovative apprenticeship strategies, upcoming events and apprenticeship in the news. Check it out here.

U.S. Workers and Their Levels of Exposure to AI By Profession

A recently published report by the Pew Research Center examined the levels at which U.S. workers across multiple fields and professions are exposed to artificial intelligence (AI). Researchers classified 19% of workers as having high AI exposure jobs, with exposure being higher for jobs that require more education.

More findings below:

• Nearly 13 million men and 14.6 million women worked a high AI exposure job in fields like office administration, auditing and accounting.
• Workers in more AI-exposed industries like information and technology; professional, scientific and technical services; and banking, finance, accounting and real estate perceive less economic risk from AI.
• High AI exposure jobs require diverse types of skillsets, with 59% using fundamental skills like critical thinking, 48% using analytical skills, 34% managerial and 26% social skills.

Aligning State Systems to Support Students

The National Conference of State Legislatures has published a report that analyzes how states are working to support community college goals of responding to the nation’s workforce needs by aligning, connecting and coordinating efforts across state agencies, postsecondary institutions, businesses and labor partners. Researchers discovered that several states are merging or redesigning their workforce systems to avoid program duplication and streamline support processes for learners. Full report here.

ADVANCE IET Project Publishes Insight into IET Models

U.S. Department of Education’s ADVANCE IET project provides training and resources to assist adult educators in developing, strengthening, and scaling Integrated Education and Training (IET) programs that effectively support adult learner pathways to high-quality careers. The ADVANCE IET project team has published its third brief in the IET Strategies in Action. Promising Practices for Collaborating with Industry and Workforce Development Partners in Integrated Education and Training Programs – This publication highlights how IET program providers can collaborate with industry and workforce development organizations to establish IET program design with learner-worker training or work-based learning opportunities. Access the brief.

Department of Labor Announces Grants to Help Community Colleges Improve Access to High-Quality Training

The Department of Labor announced the availability of $65 million in funding to support programs that help community colleges scale affordable, high-quality workforce training that meets employers’ and workers’ skill development needs in critical industry sectors, such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy, semiconductors and biotechnology. Grant applications are due September 2024. View announcement here.