Community College and Careers

The first observance of Labor Day is believed to have been a parade of 10,000 workers on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, organized by Peter J. McGuire, a Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary. By 1893, more than half the states were observing a "Labor Day" on one day or another, and Congress passed a bill to establish a federal holiday in 1894. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill soon afterward, designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day.

Much has changed over the years since that first observance of workers. We have seen shifts from a focus on agriculture to manufacturing to the current information and technology age. Today we are reminded that workers function in a global economy and as a result we face the challenge of preparing students with the skills needed for the 21st century. As individuals prepare for the work force, the reality is that workers today face not just multiple changes in a job, but changes in careers.

This fact points to several key issues when it comes to work in our current age. Today individuals are not longer feel “locked” into a career track. Beyond serving as a means of producing income to meet needs and achieve financial stability, people are looking for their careers as a mean of personal fulfillment or an avenue to make a contribution to society.

In order for this change to take place more and more individuals are realizing that a commitment to life-long learning is important to maintain skills and to learn new skills required for a career change. To respond to this need our community colleges provide an excellent resource to address these on going education needs. Community colleges in the past have been viewed as an alternative approach or stepping stone to a college degree. While this is an important aspect of their mission, they are well poised as a resource to facilitate the needs of individuals in keeping skills up-to-date and serve those pursuing a new direction in their vocational pursuits.

The workers of the future will need some type of post secondary training or education to prepare for a modern day career. As Colorado works to make higher education more accessible to high school graduates and provide on-going training to those in the work force, our community colleges provide an important resource to serve these objectives.