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Trump signs new executive order to change election rules; NC student loan borrowers could be left behind in Ed Dept. dismantling; Getting a read on SD's incarceration woes and improving re-entry; Nebraska LGBTQ+ group builds community with 'friend raiser.'

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Newly released Signalgate messages include highly classified data. Americans see legal political spending as corruption. Activists say cuts to Medicaid would hurt maternity care and cuts and changed rules at Social Security are causing customer service problems.

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Rural folks face significant clean air and water risks due to EPA cutbacks, a group of policymakers is working to expand rural healthcare via mobile clinics and a new study maps Montana's news landscape.

WA community, technical colleges work to meet rural career needs

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Monday, August 5, 2024   

Four-year universities aren't always able to serve every student, so Washington state has found a way to ensure students have other options through community and technical colleges.

Unlike some other states, all 34 community and technical colleges in Washington are authorized to offer applied bachelor's degrees.

Valerie Sundby, the director of transfer education for the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, said many of the schools offer teacher certification programs.

"For our rural communities that have a very hard time attracting teachers to their areas," said Sundby, "it creates an opportunity for them to really 'grow their own.'"

Sundby said the bachelor's degree programs at these community and technical colleges have high retention and graduation rates, and have led to employment opportunities at high rates, as well.

The state has 165 degree programs, including nursing.

Sundby said these programs ensure students get hands-on work training.

"They are very focused bachelor's degrees," said Sundby, "that - although they have the breadth of a bachelor's degree, and give them some of those general educations and things like that - they also have a very clear technical and employment outcome at the end of it."

Sundby said it's no accident that students are able to find a job when they graduate from the bachelor's programs at community and technical colleges in the state.

The schools themselves ensure there's a need in the region before deciding to offer degrees in a certain field.

"Our colleges do a lot of work with their local economic development groups, with their local workforce boards," said Sundby, "looking at all of that workforce data and understanding, what is the current gap and then, what is the projected future gap? And making sure that there are clear employment outcomes and opportunities for students."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.




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