In a city known for its renowned institutions of higher learning, the Community College of Philadelphia has quietly gone about serving the job training and career advancement needs of the majority of city residents. For the last decade, CCP has offered any Philadelphia resident who has been laid off a tuition-free first semester of credits.
That made CCP a logical destination for a portion of nearly $3 million of stimulus funding for training programs available to adults and recently laid-off workers. The funds, announced by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and the Workforce Investment Board last week, include $360,000 for CCP to train people in medical billing and coding, social service assistance and network administration.
“This funding is critical,” says CCP President Dr. Stephen Curtis.
CCP also recently announced the addition of 30 credit-bearing certificate programs in what the school has found to be high-profile areas, like health care and human services. These programs are meant to get inviduals jobs immediately and apply the credits toward full associate’s degrees.
“Each of these programs have been vetted with employers, so we know there’s a need,” says Curtis.
Curtis says community college enrollment runs inverse to the economy, so CCP, like similar institutions, is growing again. Its spring enrollment was up 1,000 students, or 4 percent, and projections for the fall signal an 11 percent increase. CCP enrolls about 35,000 students annually.
In sum, the $2.92 million awarded will go toward 631 job-training slots. The Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation will contract with selected providers for the delivery of the programs.
“You can’t solve the crime issue, the economic issues, and social issues without a more educated population,” says Curtis. “I appreciate our mayor’s agenda on that. He’s been very much out in front.”
Source: Dr. Stephen Curtis, Community College of Philadelphia
Writer: Joe Petrucci