B1005 Continuing Education Programming

Policy Statement

Continuing Education programming advances the College’s mission by providing workplace oriented learning opportunities that prepare individuals to enter, re-enter, or advance within the workforce. These programs support regional economic development by helping residents and employers build the skills needed to sustain a competitive and adaptable labor force.

Continuing Education courses and seminars may award Continuing Education Units (CEUs), certifications, digital badges, or other forms of recognized credit, and may be designed as modular or competency-based experiences that connect to the College’s credit-bearing programs. The College affirms its responsibility to sustain and improve Continuing Education offerings that support job readiness, career mobility, and lifelong learning while upholding standards of quality, equity, and fiscal accountability.

The Board recognizes that:

• Individuals receive value by engaging in the College’s continuing education courses, seminars, certifications, credentials, and programs designed to help them upgrade their skills for their current job, retrain for a new job, or prepare for a new career. By completing these activities, individuals increase their employability, mobility, and earning potential.
• Learners receive greater value when their participation in continuing education programming meets nationally recognized criteria, leads to credentials or licensure renewal, and can be documented, transferred, or articulated into other professional or academic systems (e.g., CEUs, CPDUs, PDHs, PLUs, digital badges, or modular credit).
• Employers benefit from an agile and skilled workforce aligned with business goals and objectives – fostering innovation, productivity, and profitability while improving employee morale, retention, and leadership development.
• Communities benefit from the College’s contribution to regional economic development through programs that strengthen workforce readiness and adaptability.

To honor these values, the Board expects Continuing Education programming to:

1. Prepare Individuals for Workforce Entry and Advancement – Deliver high-quality courses, seminars, workshops, and modular learning experiences that provide the knowledge and skills necessary to obtain or progress in employment.
2. Support Economic and Workforce Development – Align programs and course offerings with regional labor-market needs and contribute to the district’s economic competitiveness.
3. Enable Credential and Credit Integration – Design courses that may yield CEUs, badges, or certifications, and where appropriate, articulate modular learning outcomes into credit-bearing or competency-based education programs.
4. Ensure Quality and Accountability – Maintain instructional excellence, relevance, and fiscal transparency through established evaluation and cost-recovery practices.
5. Promote Equity and Access – Expand participation across all service counties and demographic groups, reducing barriers to workforce participation.
6. Ensure Eligibility for Workforce Financial Aid – Develop and document Continuing Education programs in alignment with state and federal criteria for short-term workforce funding, including future Workforce Pell or similar initiatives.
7. Demonstrate Results Through Evidence – Provide measurable outcomes through SCCES Key Performance Measures and Indicators, including:
   • Enrollment and completion trends by occupational area.
   • Credential attainment and licensure or certification success rates.
   • Participant and employer satisfaction.
   • Fiscal sustainability metrics.
   • Equity of participation and access.

The Board will assess institutional performance relative to this policy through annual Monitoring Reports that provide clear and sufficient evidence of results.