Monroe Community College is one of only six community colleges in the country cited in The Aspen Institute’s new report, The Workforce Playbook, a Community College Guide to Delivering Excellent Career and Technical Education . MCC and five other colleges are cited as national models for best practices in workforce development.
The Workforce Playbook is a practical guide with the goal of improving community colleges’ effectiveness in delivering talent for communities and enabling social mobility for students. Aspen’s Workforce Playbook uses concrete examples from the six identified high-performing community colleges to offer specific guidance about what colleges can do to build more effective workforce programs.
Monroe Community College is noted in the playbook for its innovative use of data to meet the current and emerging needs of the local economy. The College uses data and labor market analysis to support employers in the development of their workforces.
“MCC’s labor market-informed approach to workforce development has helped us to better understand where to make program investments that will result in a larger pool of skilled workers that are most needed by local industry,” said Dr. Todd Oldham, vice president, economic development and workforce and career technical education.
LadderzUP, a Monroe County workforce development program powered by Monroe Community College, is also cited in the Aspen report as a unique practice. LadderzUP connects area residents to skills training aligned to the needs of local employers. Since its inception in 2017, over 750 individuals have been trained and placed into new jobs or elevated in their current employment. The program has trained individuals for work in advanced manufacturing, health care, skilled trades, construction and information technology.
“LadderzUP has been a life-changing program for over 750 Monroe County residents,” said Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo. “This innovative partnership between Monroe County and MCC has helped unlock enhanced career opportunities for individuals interested in growing fields like health care, information technology, advanced manufacturing, and the skilled trades. We’re proud of this partnership and pleased that it is being recognized as a national model.”
The Workforce Playbook also underscores the importance of K-12/higher education partnerships in building the worker pipeline. Monroe Community College is recognized for its partnership with the Rochester City School District and P-TECH to make it possible for students to graduate with a high school diploma and an associate’s degree in information technology.
“For the Aspen Institute to consider MCC an exemplar community college in the field of workforce development is a testament to MCC’s long history of innovation, focus on local needs and the leadership of Dr. Todd Oldham,” said MCC President Anne M. Kress. “We look forward to building on existing partnerships and establishing new ones that create growth opportunities for area employers and citizens.”
To read the full report, visit https://tinyurl.com/WorkforcePlaybook.