Support Community College Students As They Prepare For The Workforce

Community colleges play an important role in workforce development. For students, they provide a direct path to in-demand jobs—often at a lower cost than a four-year institution. In fact, community colleges across the country experienced an increase of 118,000 students in the fall of 2023 – a 2.6% increase—the highest growth of any sector in higher education.

In addition to lower costs, students opt to enroll in community colleges over four-year institutions because they offer convenient locations and flexible schedules, and they can better suit the student’s academic needs – whether it’s getting an associate degree in their field of study or getting credits toward a bachelor’s degree.

Going Beyond Job Training to Teach Life Skills

In addition to teaching students practical knowledge in their fields, community colleges should also incorporate non-academic skills that will transfer to both their college and their future workplace in order to truly prepare students for the workforce.

Life skills, sometimes called “21st-century Learning skills” or “soft skills,” refer to skills that students need to have to succeed in the workforce but that aren’t directly associated with their chosen career path. For instance, teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, communication, and more are all skills that set a student up for success.

These skills will help students perform better in college and make them more sought-after as employees. In short, they make community college students more employable. For instance, communication skills will help students effectively present their ideas or project outcomes to their class, relay information, concerns, or questions to their supervisor, and communicate better with their co-workers.

Practical skills such as writing a resume and cover letter and interviewing for a job are important, too. If a resume isn’t personalized or doesn’t include the right keywords, it may never make it to the hiring person’s desk. The best candidate might miss an opportunity if their interview does not go well. According to Indeed.com, common mistakes in job interviews include dressing inappropriately, not doing enough research, not asking enough questions, and even things like body language and talking too much during the interview. Teaching students how to interview well will go a long way toward helping them get the job they want.

Well-Being skills. Community college students face unique challenges to their mental health and well-being. For instance, many are non-traditional students and may be balancing academics with family obligations and jobs. There are also the normal stresses that come with college, such as finances and grades, that can impact their mental well-being. Therefore, it is important for colleges to provide support in these areas. Helping students understand how to manage stress and how to find a balance between their personal life and their academics or their work will help them on their academic journey and as they enter the workforce.

How Community Colleges Can Support Students

Teaching essential life skills to students, such as leadership and teamwork, practical job-hunting, and well-being strategies, such as how to manage stress, will help them be more successful in college and will also better prepare them for the workplace. Many higher education institutions, including community colleges, have career centers that are beneficial in helping students prepare for careers, though they are also often under-utilized. To support students, community colleges can revisit what is offered at their career centers and make sure that the offerings align with students’ needs—and that students know about and are able to easily access those offerings.

Offering skills-building courses online and on-demand can be a good solution because it allows students to take the courses on their schedule from any location.

How Vector Solutions Can Help

Vector Solutions offers a wide variety of engaging online courses to support higher education institutions. Its high-impact Career Readiness & Personal Development Library equips students with the competencies and personal and professional skills needed to help enhance their employability and prepare them for a successful transition to the workplace.

Courses include:

• Career Exploration
• Communication Styles and Skills
• Financial Literacy
• Interview Skills
• Leadership and Career Readiness
• Multiple Intelligences
• Resume Writing
• Stress Management
• Study Skills: Best Practices for Academic Success and Life Balance
• Study Skills: From Lecture to Learning
• Study Skills: Pre-Class Preparation Techniques
• Time Management

The courses are engaging, authored by subject matter experts, and are available in multiple languages. They include pre- and post-course follow-up surveys and assessments, as well as knowledge checks throughout the course.