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12/17/12
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Colleges are key to better jobs
The state Board of Education announced last week it would ask lawmakers for $408 million next budget year for two-year colleges, a 29 percent increase.
With a tight education budget that still owes money to the Alabama Trust Fund rainy day account, it’s unlikely legislators will approve the increase.
They probably won’t even take it seriously.
What they should take seriously is how pivotal two-year colleges — including Calhoun Community College in Decatur — are to the mission the governor and legislators claim to have.
Skilled labor is critical to Alabama’s efforts to increase employment and increase a median wage that is among the lowest in the nation. By underfunding the colleges that provide occupational training, the state is forcing them to increase tuition. Especially because the tuition hikes are coming at the same time as tightened restrictions on federal Pell grants, the result is to preclude Alabama residents from acquiring the skills they need for good jobs.
Throwing money at a problem may not solve it. If our elected officials are serious about their focus on industrial recruitment and better jobs, though, they must look for ways to increase access to two-year colleges.
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Education is not the solution to all our problems but it solves far more than whatever is in second place. It is an incubater for jobs which in turn attracts industry. The quality of education at Calhoun and Wallace State are the best in the state and these two colleges help north Alabama attract new industry. The communitiy colleges all over Alabama offer opportunities for higher education and higher skills training to hundreds who would otherwise face the job market with a handicap. When we look at the dividends paid in return for our investment, both immediately and in the future, maybe a 29% increase is not that outrageous.
I know from personal experience that coming from a small county school system and being able to attend Northwest Community College in Phil Campbell many years ago, afforded me the opportunities and career path that I have enjoyed for over 25 years. Kids coming out of high school need these colleges and/or trade schools to prosper in today's world.
Community colleges are a great way for students to start their educations. If they succeed, they have saved a lot of money those first two years. If they do not finish and decide they are not cut out for a four-year degree, they are not tens of thousands of dollars in debt. And if they succeed in learning a useful trade they may have begun a good career.