OTC President Talks About Retraining on NPR Program

Springfield, MO, October 29, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Hal Higdon, president of Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, Missouri told more than 1.5 million listeners in the New York, Baltimore and Boston areas that his College is retraining thousands of students who are looking for a new career.

Higdon appeared Tuesday on a segment of “The Takeaway,” a radio program originating from WNYC, the largest National Public Radio station in the country. Higdon participated in a discussion about retraining displaced workers in a down economy.

The president was interviewed by the show’s host John Hockenberry and program contributor Beth Kobliner. The program airs in New York City, Boston, Baltimore and much of the East Coast.

“Out of 13,000 students at OTC, at least half are involved in technical or allied health programs designed to get them to work within a 24-month period,” Higdon told the audience.

According to the show’s hosts, President Obama’s administration has put $3 billion into retraining programs. That money, along with other federal money, is being used by community colleges to help with the retraining efforts across the country.

There has been an emphasis on training workers for green jobs and Higdon said that at OTC, there is ongoing green training in the areas of HVAC, energy auditing and construction trades along with other areas that support green jobs.

Higdon added that displaced workers are happy to come to OTC for retraining.

“We have that happening a great deal. These are typically workers from low-skill jobs who need a GED,” he said.

Higdon said prior to the show’s airing that the issue of retraining workers is that community colleges are willing to tackle.

“The four-year institutions don’t have programs that will put people to work immediately. There’s been a change in attitude in the value of the community college,” Higdon said.

The podcast is available at http://tinyurl.com/ylsp7yh

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