“Meeting the Needs of Information-Age Employers” by Steven R. Wallace

Community College Journal, June/July 1999, Vol. 69, No. 6

In their compelling book, Monster under the Bed, Davis and Botkin observe, “We re experiencing nothing short of a revolution in learning and the knowledge business.  This is not a fad: it will cause major changes in our economy and society.”  Education, they continue, is following the path of declining companies by failing to respond quickly and effectively to the challenges and opportunities of the new economy.  Though harsh, this assessment may reflect accurately the attitude of many employers regarding the quality of higher education’s responsiveness to their rapidly evolving human resource needs.

The successful workforce of the emerging global information economy will require new forms of preparation and credentials.  Accordingly, as the knowledge base for professional work in technical disciplines becomes increasingly sophisticated and competitive, there is rising employer demand for performance-ready graduates at the baccalaureate level.  Though community college leaders readily acknowledge the dramatic and accelerating changes in the business world, the structure of degrees in colleges and universities remains largely unchanged.  Required is a new practitioner-oriented applied baccalaureate degree that emphasizes the competencies demanded in a contemporary business environment over preparation for graduate school.  Community colleges are a logical provider of this new credential. 

Employers indicate increasingly that they are unable to find appropriately prepared bachelor’s degree candidates in fields such as information technology and health services.  Though well prepared for subsequent graduate study, many holders of traditional bachelor’s degrees may find their academic preparation to be out of sync with requirements of employers in the new economy.  Employers, for example, indicate an interest in greater balance between the “hard” technical skills relevant to their business and the essential “soft” skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and effective interpersonal relations.  Further, many employers prefer candidates at the baccalaureate level with a more practical than theoretical preparation.  Employers want candidates who can demonstrate success in dealing with contemporary business problems and who can be productive, contributing member of the organizations form the start.

Many traditional baccalaureate programs do not meet these expectations, nor are they designed to do so.  Though universities could respond to this interest, the graduate education-dominated politics of the university militate against the concept of a practical, perhaps “terminal,” baccalaureate degree.  Community colleges, therefore, are best positioned to quickly and cost-effectively meet this demand.

As new challenges require innovative responses, information age employers will be well served by an emerging new type of degree—the applied baccalaureate.  This degree (which may be titled the bachelor of applied science) provides specific, practitioner-oriented preparation for immediate entry into technical professions.  Developed and maintained in close collaboration with employers, the community college baccalaureate degree can feature a curriculum of relevance and immediate applicability to current and emergent needs of contemporary organizations.

The instructional methods of the new degree are differentiated from traditional programs through the use of applied and contextual pedagogy as well as significant use of work-based learning.  Teaching in the applied baccalaureate program emphasizes the practical issues of the discipline and “real world” content in courses.  Accordingly, there is constant application of course content to authentic situations students will encounter at work.  Simulations and case study methods are featured, resulting in a more “hands-on” and less theoretical preparation of students.  In addition to study in the technical (“hard” skill) aspects of the discipline, attention also is given to methods of problem-solving and other “soft” skills required for success in the field.  Employers respond very positively to the applied curriculum and work-based learning elements of this new degree.

The applied baccalaureate builds easily upon the associate in science degree program.  The upper division tracks extend and enhance the lower division foundation and usually prepare the student for one or more forms of advanced technical practice and/or managerial roles.  Typically, applied baccalaureate programs have an inverted structure, with the majority of technical and discipline major courses in the lower division and a shift of some, but not all, general education courses to the upper division.  As a result, students obtain competencies for entry-level employment early in their academic careers.

This affords students important opportunities to earn while they learn (and thereby finance their education), deepen their knowledge through real-world applications at work, and become established in an organization upon obtaining the associate in science degree and, subsequently, the applied baccalaureate degree. Many applied baccalaureate programs are designed with specific attention to the needs of working adults, recognizing that more future learners will work and learn simultaneously throughout their careers.

Building upon the proven success of community colleges in workforce preparation, the applied baccalaureate is an important logical next step in the evolution of community colleges.  The essential mission of community colleges always has been to respond to local educational and economic development needs.  Begun as “junior colleges,” the mission of community colleges expanded dramatically to include vocational and technical education, developmental education, community service, and continuing workforce education. 

The development of highly successful associate in science degree programs directly responsive to employer needs provides a strong foundation for the new form of upper division preparation of interest to many employers.  Consequently, community colleges are well positioned to add a limited number of new, high-demand applied bachelor’s degrees to enhance their already significant impact on local and statewide economic development.  With much of the academic capacity already in place, the community college can develop and offer the upper division component more quickly and cost-effectively than any other sector.  Employers and legislators value the resultant cost savings and responsiveness. 

We must not be lulled into complacency by the frequently cited projection that the vast majority of new jobs in the future will require more than high school but less than baccalaureate preparation. Thee is no reasons to believe that employers in a highly competitive global economy will be inclined to hire technical and professional employees who meet only minimum requirements.  It is anticipated that many organizations in the future will move to smaller, elite work-forces, and that competition for the most desirable professional jobs will intensify correspondingly.  To be selected, our graduates must meet the rising standards of employers who attract many baccalaureate holders for jobs that do not require a four-year degree.  In many such cases, graduates of applied baccalaureate programs will have a substantial competitive advantage.

In a knowledge-based economy, the associate degree simply will not provide significant professional and economic opportunities to students in some disciplines.  To the extent that universities choose to focus on preparation for graduate school, a difficult void for students and employers is created.  On a cautious and selective basis, community colleges should build upon the success of the associate in science degree and pursue with employers and legislators the development of new community college-based baccalaureate degrees of the 21^st century.

Steve R. Wallace is president of Florida Community College in Jacksonville, Florida.

Reference:

Davis, Stanley M., and Botkin, James W. 1994.  The Monster Under the Bed:  How Business is Mastering the Opportunity of Knowledge for Profit.  New York, NY, Simon & Shuster.