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Simply recognizing a need is often the start to coming up with a solution that will improve individuals' lives.
A task force in South County is in the very early stages of trying to determine the needs for education beyond high school for members of their communities. What this task force has noticed is the lack of resources, training and higher education available in South County.
For some, a deterrent to enrolling in classes is the time and transportation needed to head up the highway from Glendale, Canyonville and other rural communities to Umpqua Community College in Winchester. Trying to take classes online is also problematic because of the limited amount of high-speed Internet access in rural areas.
Yet, these communities are likely facing some of the higher unemployment rates, so their members are often in need of additional training to make them attractive to employers.
These realities have task force members wondering if a South County Career and Technical Center might be appropriate for the area. It might be a center where students could learn basic job skills — we've heard employers are often surprised to learn they need to teach everything from how to set an alarm clock so employees will arrive at work on time to basic phone etiquette and customer service.
Or it could be a center that would teach specific skills that lead to what are considered middle skill-level jobs or provide continuing education for existing workers. It could also offer additional resources for South County school districts.
At this point, the task force is moving through a process called “appreciative inquiry,” in which it's focusing on the positive conversation around these ideas, explained Pete Bober, a task force member and the director of work force and community education at Umpqua Community College. So far, members have gotten a lot of interest from community members, local educators and the director of another training program, Norm Gershon, president of Umpqua Training & Employment based in Roseburg.
While the task force is focused on how it could provide education and training, members also see advantages for South County communities. Many business and community leaders believe a training center could become a catalyst for economic and community development.
For the time being, they're hoping to land a $77,000 grant from the Federal Economic Development Administration to support further study into the viability of a training and education center. There's also been some talk of including funding for a UCC satellite campus in South County in a bond levy the college is contemplating sending to voters in 2011.
Though all of these ideas are extremely preliminary, we're encouraged to see this conversation taking place among community leaders who share the common goal of furthering the education and improving the lives of their residents.
A task force in South County is in the very early stages of trying to determine the needs for education beyond high school for members of their communities. What this task force has noticed is the lack of resources, training and higher education available in South County.
For some, a deterrent to enrolling in classes is the time and transportation needed to head up the highway from Glendale, Canyonville and other rural communities to Umpqua Community College in Winchester. Trying to take classes online is also problematic because of the limited amount of high-speed Internet access in rural areas.
Yet, these communities are likely facing some of the higher unemployment rates, so their members are often in need of additional training to make them attractive to employers.
These realities have task force members wondering if a South County Career and Technical Center might be appropriate for the area. It might be a center where students could learn basic job skills — we've heard employers are often surprised to learn they need to teach everything from how to set an alarm clock so employees will arrive at work on time to basic phone etiquette and customer service.
Or it could be a center that would teach specific skills that lead to what are considered middle skill-level jobs or provide continuing education for existing workers. It could also offer additional resources for South County school districts.
At this point, the task force is moving through a process called “appreciative inquiry,” in which it's focusing on the positive conversation around these ideas, explained Pete Bober, a task force member and the director of work force and community education at Umpqua Community College. So far, members have gotten a lot of interest from community members, local educators and the director of another training program, Norm Gershon, president of Umpqua Training & Employment based in Roseburg.
While the task force is focused on how it could provide education and training, members also see advantages for South County communities. Many business and community leaders believe a training center could become a catalyst for economic and community development.
For the time being, they're hoping to land a $77,000 grant from the Federal Economic Development Administration to support further study into the viability of a training and education center. There's also been some talk of including funding for a UCC satellite campus in South County in a bond levy the college is contemplating sending to voters in 2011.
Though all of these ideas are extremely preliminary, we're encouraged to see this conversation taking place among community leaders who share the common goal of furthering the education and improving the lives of their residents.
