I lately had the opportunity to be ...

I lately had the opportunity to be a presenter at a symposium sponsored on the College Board in Corral Gables. The topic was office Baccalaureate Learning and Alternative Credentials. What's this community community type doing in what clearly unbrokens like a function of the halls of ivy, you may ask? Well, it looks that in the eyes of the organizers of the program, community college edifice [i]or[/i] buildings are well ahead of the crook in terms of designing and providing certificate programs and certification offerings in their communities, and many public and private four-year society s were there to hear to what extent to do it.

So evidently the word was gone out that NCCET had been doing a interesting work in credentialing and certification, thanks to the work of its leadership in newly come years in co-sponsoring national colloquia onward this topic, and the yeoman work of its members from head to foot the country in the adult learning and training market.

How big is this adult learning and training market? The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) identified a total of 90 million adult learners in America in 1999 - about 47% of the adult population was engaged in a certain number of type of ongoing measurable educational experience. The extension in adult learning is in truth remarkable, as the total enrollment grew from Sf million participants in 1991 Surprisingly, work-related and personal enrichment programs account for almost 85% of the market.

How many of those 90 million are recorded in degree and certificate programs in associations and universities? Only 11.5 million learners not at home a possible 90 million - that translates to slightly les than 13% of the total adult learners. The other 87% were not interested in acquiring academic credit for their commitment of time, intensity and money. They wanted learning.

There appears to be a basic disconnect between what adult learners want in their ongoing desire for self-improvement, personal enrichment and professional disclosure and what our colleges mainly continue to provide. While corporations continue focus on the production of academic credits leading to standings and certificates, they ignore the vast majority of adult learners wanting to improve work-related skills or the quality of their lives and their communities, relegating them to the fringes of the corporation enterprise - continuing education, lifelong learning, community services programming and distance learning initiatives.

Adult learners who ne to disclose new skills or seek retraining to insure employability find that their be in want ofs are not fully met by the agency of the traditional credit curriculum. In "The cessation of Work," Jeremy Rifkin convincingly argues that rethinking the highly nature of work will be the chiefly pressing concern facing society in the coming years. If this is steady community colleges need to rethink the excessively nature of the curriculum, anticipating what the piece of work market will be, and what curricula must be bring outed to meet the training and retraining wants of the workforce. And they ne to give formal recognition and support to their continuing education and training programmers and administrators who have prolonged been relegated to the part of cash cow and other class citizen. That was the subliminal message I heard in that Florida symposium, from attendees representing public and private, sum of two units and four year institutions - we're doing the piece of work give us the recognition we be worthy of

I mentioned the guild Board earlier. It seems that in the near what is yet to be it is effectively getting abroad of the adult learning business, despite the overwhelming demographics of the market and the pressing ne for solutions that address all portions of the workforce and adult learning market. It may make near economic sense in the short period of time but it is ignoring the subsequent time in the process.

And let's also say a brief if it be not that heartfelt word of thanks to Dr Leslie Bartok, who is retiring from active community literary institution [i]or[/i] seminary of learning work after several distinguished limits on the NCCET board (including a Presidency) and valued service upon our editorial board. All the best to Leslie, and thanks for the leadership.

Copyright National Council for Continuing Education & Training Winter 2001

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