NACCE and Skillpointe Unveil Enhanced Tech Platform
SkillPointe Updates Help Community Colleges Bridge the Skills Gap
Cary, NC, April 16, 2024 --(PR.com)-- The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), the nation’s leading organization focused on promoting entrepreneurship through community colleges, and SkillPointe, its technology platform, have released an improved SkillPointe website that’s better able to help students pursue in-demand skills while helping community colleges meet workforce demands.
“By connecting students who are working towards building their own career paths with community colleges offering skills that are vital to their local communities, SkillPointe helps students take their first step towards forging their own path toward meaningful careers,” said Rebecca Corbin, Ed.D., president and CEO of NACCE.
Fostering Student Engagement
SkillPointe provides a proven pathway to help students move from uncertainty to success. First, SkillPointe’s two-minute quiz helps students discover hands-on careers suited to their personality. Through SkillPointe’s career pages, which feature detailed information about what specific jobs entail, students can do more in-depth career exploration, discover the training required, and much more. From there, SkillPointe makes it easy to find training with a database of more than 60,000 training listings from community colleges and other training providers. The final step on the path is helping students get the financial support they need to pursue their dreams.
The new website makes these key steps clearer for students, including a growing scholarship hub to connect students with available money. NACCE-member schools each have a robust provider page, a place to share all skilled career training programs, and information about the school’s mission and specialties. There’s also a bonus program that pairs colleges with local employer sponsors to focus on industry pathways. “We are continually improving the website to help more institutions and students,” said Corbin.
Timing Critical
The site changes couldn’t have happened at a better time. According to an April article in The Wall Street Journal, younger workers see the skilled trades as an affordable alternative to the four-year college path. “Enrollment in vocational-focused community colleges has reached its highest level since 2018, after surging 16 percent last year,” wrote WSJ reporter Te-Ping Chen.
As employers struggle to fill job vacancies, it makes sense for students to train for specific, in-demand jobs that pay well. The path is clearer, quicker, and unriddled with debt. To date, SkillPointe has delivered 64,000 referrals to training programs. SkillPointe member colleges receive 20 times the organic referrals that colleges typically receive.
“We are impressed with the quality of prospective students that SkillPointe refers,” said Emily Barnett, assistant director of Enrollment Strategies and Analytics at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Maryland. “In fact, 35 percent of referrals from SkillPointe register in a program. This conversion rate is significantly higher than what we get from our other marketing partners.”
Building a Workforce Together
SkillPointe helps community colleges boost enrollment, attract students they aren’t currently reaching, and help communities meet their workforce needs. All of the recent improvements are focused on creating training solutions for in-demand jobs and making a stronger workforce development pipeline.
About NACCE
NACCE is a 501(c)3 nonprofit association of faculty, administrators, presidents, and entrepreneurs focused on igniting entrepreneurship in classrooms, on campuses and in communities. NACCE supports job creation and entrepreneurs in 46 states. NACCE represents nearly 400 colleges and approximately 3.3 million students and has its headquarters in Cary, North Carolina. Visit www.nacce.com for more information.
About SkillPointe
SkillPointe champions skills-based careers by offering a self-assessment tool, career exploration, access to training programs, scholarships, and other forms of financial aid. Visitors to SkillPointe will find information about in-demand industries, including business, communications, construction, energy, healthcare, hospitality, information technology, manufacturing, public service, and transportation. Visit www.skillpointe.com for more information.
Contact:
Rebecca Corbin
856-404-0388
“By connecting students who are working towards building their own career paths with community colleges offering skills that are vital to their local communities, SkillPointe helps students take their first step towards forging their own path toward meaningful careers,” said Rebecca Corbin, Ed.D., president and CEO of NACCE.
Fostering Student Engagement
SkillPointe provides a proven pathway to help students move from uncertainty to success. First, SkillPointe’s two-minute quiz helps students discover hands-on careers suited to their personality. Through SkillPointe’s career pages, which feature detailed information about what specific jobs entail, students can do more in-depth career exploration, discover the training required, and much more. From there, SkillPointe makes it easy to find training with a database of more than 60,000 training listings from community colleges and other training providers. The final step on the path is helping students get the financial support they need to pursue their dreams.
The new website makes these key steps clearer for students, including a growing scholarship hub to connect students with available money. NACCE-member schools each have a robust provider page, a place to share all skilled career training programs, and information about the school’s mission and specialties. There’s also a bonus program that pairs colleges with local employer sponsors to focus on industry pathways. “We are continually improving the website to help more institutions and students,” said Corbin.
Timing Critical
The site changes couldn’t have happened at a better time. According to an April article in The Wall Street Journal, younger workers see the skilled trades as an affordable alternative to the four-year college path. “Enrollment in vocational-focused community colleges has reached its highest level since 2018, after surging 16 percent last year,” wrote WSJ reporter Te-Ping Chen.
As employers struggle to fill job vacancies, it makes sense for students to train for specific, in-demand jobs that pay well. The path is clearer, quicker, and unriddled with debt. To date, SkillPointe has delivered 64,000 referrals to training programs. SkillPointe member colleges receive 20 times the organic referrals that colleges typically receive.
“We are impressed with the quality of prospective students that SkillPointe refers,” said Emily Barnett, assistant director of Enrollment Strategies and Analytics at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Maryland. “In fact, 35 percent of referrals from SkillPointe register in a program. This conversion rate is significantly higher than what we get from our other marketing partners.”
Building a Workforce Together
SkillPointe helps community colleges boost enrollment, attract students they aren’t currently reaching, and help communities meet their workforce needs. All of the recent improvements are focused on creating training solutions for in-demand jobs and making a stronger workforce development pipeline.
About NACCE
NACCE is a 501(c)3 nonprofit association of faculty, administrators, presidents, and entrepreneurs focused on igniting entrepreneurship in classrooms, on campuses and in communities. NACCE supports job creation and entrepreneurs in 46 states. NACCE represents nearly 400 colleges and approximately 3.3 million students and has its headquarters in Cary, North Carolina. Visit www.nacce.com for more information.
About SkillPointe
SkillPointe champions skills-based careers by offering a self-assessment tool, career exploration, access to training programs, scholarships, and other forms of financial aid. Visitors to SkillPointe will find information about in-demand industries, including business, communications, construction, energy, healthcare, hospitality, information technology, manufacturing, public service, and transportation. Visit www.skillpointe.com for more information.
Contact:
Rebecca Corbin
856-404-0388
Contact
National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship
Carol Savage
978-857-1473
www.nacce.com
Carol Savage
978-857-1473
www.nacce.com
Contact
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