Magazine rates U.S. colleges’ openness, responsiveness to students ages 25 and older
BRIGHTON, N.Y. – Aug. 29, 2017 – Monroe Community College is one of 12 most innovative U.S. colleges for adult learners, according to Washington Monthly magazine’s latest college rankings.
The list rates two-year and four-year higher education institutions based on how they best serve learners ages 25 and older.
MCC is recognized for being “at the cutting edge of making college more responsive to changes in the labor market” by using real-time data to provide a deeper understanding of local employers’ workforce demands and to help MCC students make informed career choices. The College’s Economic Development and Innovative Workforce Services Division (EDIWS) recently launched a web platform, www.mcclmi.com, that provides actionable data to guide educators, workforce developers, and economic developers by allowing them to apply occupational-based analyses within specific regions and workforce clusters. These analyses have been accepted across the Finger Lakes region, and into the Central and Western New York regions.
“Innovation is at the heart of what we do. We align and inform programs through local labor market analysis to adapt our solutions to current workforce needs,” said Dr. Todd Oldham, vice president of MCC’s EDIWS Division.
Also highlighted is MCC’s accelerated precision tooling certificate program—developed in response to the region’s high demand for skilled machinists—as a model for addressing unmet needs of employers in other fields. Ninety-percent of graduates from the first cohort of the accelerated precision tooling certificate program secured employment upon graduation from the program, and the cohorts that followed have had similar results. MCC plans to roll out similar programs to meet employer demand. One such program is the cohort-based medical office assistant certificate program launching this fall.
The magazine’s list is compiled using data from federal government sources and the College Board’s Annual Survey of Colleges.
Approximately 40 percent of all U.S. college students are adults, according to Washington Monthly. At MCC, 31 percent of students are adults (25 years of age and older).
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Media Contact:
Hency Yuen-Eng
Marketing and Community Relations
585-292-3063
hyuen-eng@monroecc.edu