Rodney Vanover worked for 17 years as a process engineer for Maxtor in Longmont before his company was bought out in 2006. His job was sent overseas the following year.
Unexpectedly unemployed at age 52, Vanover knew that this time he wanted to pick a career where he would have a more active role in helping people - as well as one that couldn't be outsourced.
Vanover is about a year away from finishing his associate's degree in respiratory therapy at Pima Medical Institute in Denver, and, in spite of the shaky economy, he expects little problem in landing a job after graduation.
"I think I'm going to do real well," said Vanover, who lives in Berthoud. "It's a growing field, and the environment of the United States right now just lends itself to the fact we need more respiratory therapists."
Students like Vanover have sent enrollment at for-profit vocational schools and community colleges surging this year as laid-off workers train for new careers and younger students seek out fields with solid recruitment prospects.
Preliminary reports from community colleges across the nation, which had overall enrollment of 11.5 million last year, show summer enrollments increased, a trend predicted to extend into the fall, according to Norma Kent, a spokeswoman for the American Association of Community Colleges.
Medical training programs remain among the most popular, with the health care field expected to add 4.7 million jobs in the next six years as baby boomers grow older and need more care.
"We're really in an upswing right now," said Debi Roberts, career counselor at Pima, where 600 students are enrolled. "A medical education is the best defense against a bad economy."
The Colorado Community College System has seen enrollment soar 10.2 percent this year, a trend that's typical in economic downturns, said Nancy McCallin, president of the system that oversees 13 schools. Enrollment increased 24 percent during the 2001 to 2004 downturn, and 60 percent during the late-1980s oil and construction bust. Nearly 43 percent of degrees are in health-related fields.
"People come back to school for retraining or to get additional skills," McCallin said. "When jobs become plentiful again, enrollment drops."
For-profit schools like Pima have boomed in Colorado and nationwide in recent years. Private, for-profit schools such as Kaplan University and the University of Phoenix have posted the highest average annual increase in associate's degrees since 2003 among all colleges, according to trade publication Community College Week. The University of Phoenix's Axia College, for example, granted 113 associate's degrees in 2003, compared with 2,918 last year.
For-profit schools also come with a higher price tag: Some students pay a total tuition bill ranging from $5,000 to $30,000, depending on whether they're earning a certificate or an associate's degree. By comparison, community college costs $4,600 for an associate's degree.
Pima is strategic about which programs it offers, focusing on high-growth fields and specialized degrees not found at traditional universities. The Denver campus is the only school in the state to train ophthalmic technicians, who take patient eye measurements and assist with eye surgery. Ophthalmic technicians can earn an average of $44,000, according to Salary.com, and often receive hiring bonuses out of school.
The Colorado Community College System similarly has added programs in emerging industries or fields with acute shortages, such as utility-line workers. Red Rocks and Pueblo community colleges, for example, recently added energy programs focused on solar power, while Colorado Northwestern Community College in the past two years added five specialized energy degrees, including process technology with an oil and gas emphasis.
"Our colleges respond to the market and what businesses are telling them in terms of what skills they need and where they are hiring," McCallin said.
Pamela Salazar, 28, is working on her medical assistant certificate at Pima with an eye toward becoming a nurse. She previously worked in a community corrections facility as a case manager.
"There's just so many more positions and so much more job stability in this field," said Salazar, who expects to graduate from her nine-month program in December.
Growth at community colleges
10.2% Year to date enrollment increase at the 13-college Colorado Community College System, compared with 2.5 percent in fiscal year 2007.
24% The increase in state community college enrollment during the 2001-2004 economic downturn, peaking at 10.9 percent in 2002-03.
* Nine of the 20 fastest-growing occupations are in the medical field, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
* The health care industry employed 12.9 million people in 2002, making it the largest industry in the U.S., and is projected to have 4.7 million new jobs by 2014.(source) |
