B1004 Professional Programming

Policy Statement

As identified in the College purpose statement, professional programming is an essential service that prepares students for entry-level employment and apprenticeships.

Students receive value by engaging in the College’s professional (i.e., career technical education) courses, certificates, and degrees designed to prepare them for direct entry-level employment in the workplace or for an industry-recognized apprenticeship.  Students benefit from relevant and evolving curriculum that is informed by employer, educational partner, and economic development professional input.  Students benefit when they obtain enhanced job skills, employment, and/or promotion in careers related to their courses and programs of study.  Students receive greater value when they receive a living wage in a high-skill and high-demand career located within the district after completion of a SCC professional course or program of study.  In addition to wage growth, students receive superior value when they are able to obtain professional certification and/or licensure after completing a course or program of study that is aligned with industry-recognized standards. Furthermore, students are well positioned for future job growth when their professional course, certificate, and/or degree align with advanced professional degrees at colleges and universities.  This clarifies the transfer pathway, reduces the time spent obtaining advanced professional degrees, increases career flexibility/mobility, and potentially limits student loan debt.

Employers benefit from a supply of employees who possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to succeed.  Employers receive value from an agile and skilled workforce that brings new ideas and creativity to a rapidly changing market and work environment.

To achieve these benefits, the Board directs the President to establish, deliver, and continuously improve a program of professional (i.e., career-oriented) education.

Key Monitoring Activities:

As it relates to the key performance areas noted in the Monitoring College Effectiveness policy, the Board is interested in community need, student interest, enrollment, academic progress, academic success, completion, employment readiness, and deployment.

Please note, the measures and indicators suggested below are advisory in nature and are intended to provide the President with a broad range of ideas as to what the Board might find helpful as it monitors the College’s progress on the key performance areas for this Strategic Outcome.  The President, at his/her discretion, can modify the measures and indicators as needed. 

Specific measures for community need may include data that illustrates how workforce development needs are being met.  Potential indicators might include: the number of graduates that enter high-skill and high-demand jobs within the College’s service area and tri-state region; the number of graduates employed within the College’s service area and tri-state region; and wage rates for all professional program graduates.

Specific measures for student interest may include data that demonstrates student matriculation through a career pathway and increased program relevance.  Potential indicators might include: the number of articulation agreements, including 2+2 and 3+1 arrangements, available to students; percentage of professional programs with a transfer plan of study; and percentage of programs having professional recognition. 

Specific measures for enrollment may include data that reflects credit hours, FTE, and headcount of students taking professional program courses.  Data aggregated by student demographic profiles is appropriate.  Potential indicators might identify: the average credit load by semester; number of students participating in early college programs; number of students participating in dual enrollment courses; and/or average credits earned by semester for professional program students.

Specific measures for academic progress may include data that reflects course completion, program completability, credit accumulation rate, retention, and persistence.  Potential indicators might identify: percentages of courses completed that were attempted; percentage of programs that can be completed within a 2-year (or less) timeframe; and percentage of students who completed credit milestones within an academic year.

Specific measures for academic success may include data that reflects student learning outcome attainment and student performance in professional program courses.  Potential indicators might identify the percentage of students who pass a professional course with a grade of C or better and percentage of students who receive a D, F, or W in professional courses.

Specific measures for completion may include data that describes student graduation rates, completion rates, and credentials awarded.  Potential indicators might describe the percentage of degree-seeking students who graduated within three (3) years of initial enrollment at SCC and/or the number of certificates and degrees awarded.

Specific measures for employment readiness may include data that demonstrates licensure pass rates, certification exam pass rates, job placement rates, graduate wage rates, and graduate wage growth.  Potential indicators might describe: the percentage of students that passed licensure exam within six (6) months of graduation; the number of students that passed nationally recognized certification exams while enrolled at SCC or within six (6) months of graduation; the percentage of students participating in internships or co-ops who obtain a full-time position at that place of employment; percentage of graduates employed full-time within six (6) months of graduation in an occupation related to their program of study; number of graduates obtaining a sustainable job; and the median wage of graduates by program area.

Specific measures for deployment may include data in the measures of curriculum management and scheduling effectiveness, including breadth of courses, percentage of courses offered in multiple timeframes/formats, number of students who access courses from off-campus locations, the average number of sections per course, average enrollment per course, and average enrollment per section.