ECMC Group Skills Sheet Feb 2022 Newsletter

A Note from Our CEO

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Skills Sheet, a newsletter designed to keep you up to date about our latest efforts to educate and train students and workers—particularly the historically underserved—for our rapidly changing economy.

This publication will also feature insights from our unique front-line vantage point where we create, provide and invest in innovative educational opportunities that support learners throughout their educational-to-employment journey. We see no better time to launch this endeavor than CTE (Career and Technical Education) Month, given our focus across our organization on this necessary and essential postsecondary education pathway.

With the U.S. experiencing a worker shortage that has swept across industries, the need for CTE and trained workers is even more acute as we continue to navigate the pandemic and its short- and long-term impacts. As Vivekanand Jayakumar, an associate professor of economics at the University of Tampa, points out in a recent op-ed, “there appears to be a growing skill-mismatch between the degrees pursued by students and those actually sought by employers.” I couldn’t agree more. We need to stem the tide to ensure everyone has an opportunity to pursue their educational and career path of choice and the knowledge to understand which choice aligns with the needs of employers.

As I wrote recently in Fortune, I’ve been encouraged by young people who are demanding lower-cost postsecondary education programs that create a more direct path to a career. I hope this newsletter will serve as a resource for you to see the many areas where we strive to educate workers at the speed of change and hope you will engage with us along the way.

Sincerely,

Jeremy J. Wheaton
President & CEO, ECMC Group

Through our partnerships with Junior Achievement (JA) around the country, we are educating students about the many postsecondary education pathways, with a particular focus on CTE. We recently hosted more than 100 students from Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas at our Altierus Career College campus in Houston, where they experienced a variety of career pathways, from medical assisting and surgical technology to HVAC and electrical work. Students spent the day working in various lab settings experiencing firsthand what it feels like to work in one of these front-line, essential career fields. We are excited to soon be hosting JA students at our Norcross campus near Atlanta and our campus in Tampa, Florida. JA’s initiatives are focused on empowering students to make a connection between what they learn in school and how it can be applied in the real world.

Houston high school students explore CTE careers at Altierus Career College

Each year, ECMC’s Student Success team assists more than 30,000 students as they explore, plan and prepare for their postsecondary education journey. Through our college access centers—The College Place (TCP)—located in seven locations across the U.S., students and families receive free college planning assistance ranging from Free Application for Federal Student (FAFSA) completion to college applications and scholarship searches. This group also develops the Opportunities guide and workbook—a planning tool that provides worksheets and information to help students make informed decisions about their future. The guide also features a CTE supplement that highlights career pathways, stackable credentials and relevant statistics. This free resource is available in English and Spanish.

Early in 2020, ECMC Group launched the Question The Quo campaign to empower high school students to explore the various education options available and to take the career path that's right for them. Over the past two years, the campaign has collected data from more than 4,000 Gen Z teens ages 14-18 about their wants and needs from a postsecondary education pathway. Perhaps not surprisingly, there have been several major shifts in the trendlines due to the pandemic. Here are a few highlights:

ECMC Education recently expanded its offerings with the launch of Altierus Training Solutions (ATS) to provide workforce development solutions for employers. ATS provides custom training, as well as a ready-to-go, configurable training program called Accelerator, which is designed to help heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) employers effectively and efficiently develop field-ready technicians. The program couples technology-based training with hands-on application in the field to deliver a cost-effective and scalable solution. ATS also provides holistic client support with expert-facilitated training and coaching to further enable success.

In an effort to bring together diverse perspectives and equip CTE leaders with the tools, resources and skills needed to advance postsecondary CTE, ECMC Foundation developed the CTE Leadership Collaborative. Through this $20 million, seven-year initiative, ECMC Foundation provides funding for a network of six fellowship programs that support professional development opportunities for the next generation of leaders—known as ECMC Foundation Fellows (Fellows)—in research, institutional and nonprofit management, journalism/media, business and state leadership. While the six grantee partners oversee the majority of the programmatic activities—including mentorship, in-person and virtual convenings and Fellow-led projects—ECMC Foundation serves as the connective tissue to ensure collaboration across programs by convening Fellows across programs on an annual basis, hosting networking opportunities and providing funding to support Fellows interested in collaborating on projects.

ECMC Foundation Fellow Emilie Cherry, Community College of Baltimore County, Maryland (ACTE Cohort 2), asks a question at a recent CTE Leadership Collaborative convening.

SXSW EDU (March 7-10 in Austin, Texas)—ECMC Group is partnering with Jobs for the Future (JFF) to provide a half-day of programming focused on The Future of Workforce Education. Join us in Austin, Texas, on the morning of March 10 where we will be engaging experts from across the postsecondary education landscape to collaboratively develop solutions. We also will be previewing the virtual reality technology currently being piloted at our Altierus Career College in Norcross, Georgia, near Atlanta.

ASU+GSV Summit (April 4-6 in San Diego, California)—Join us at ASU+GSV! Experts from across ECMC Group will be discussing a variety of topics virtually and in-person, from educating and training workers at the speed of change, to skilled trades and alternative pathways to training. Jeremy Wheaton will also be facilitating an exciting fireside chat on the main stage with a special guest.