Grant-Funded Program to Create “New Models for Career Preparation”
A leader in developing workforce training programs, County College of Morris (CCM) is excited to announce that it has been selected as one of only six community colleges nationwide to participate in the next New Models for Career Preparation program.
A program led by New America in partnership with the Lumina Foundation, New Models is designed to provide community colleges with methods and strategies for creating and providing programs to meet the needs of diverse populations, addressing the workforce demand of employers and growing their communities. CCM’s Center for Workforce Development aligns perfectly with that mission as it focuses on pathways and training to high-demand, good-paying positions that positively impact Morris County residents.
New America is a think tank dedicated to promoting economic opportunity for all individuals. As it notes, “Fostering racial and gender equity and addressing occupational segregation is a necessary focus for a truly excellent workforce-oriented community college.”
“We’re honored to have been selected to take part in this initiative and to build upon our already strong programs to provide even larger numbers of people with the opportunity to establish careers in fields that lead to economic self-sufficiency for themselves and their families,” said Patrick Enright, vice president Professional Studies & Applied Sciences.
Included among the leading programs the Center for Workforce Development at CCM offers are:
- Advanced Manufacturing Apprenticeships. CCM has developed a highly successful national model for offering apprenticeships, paid on-the-job learning, in the high-demand area of advanced manufacturing with the support of a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. To date, 94 percent of graduates who have participated in the college’s pre-apprenticeship boot camp who were seeking employment have been hired.
- Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. Having run successfully at CCM for years, this program is one of the college’s greatest draws, especially as a result of the pandemic and the growth of the nation’s opioid crisis.
- Certified Nurse Aide Apprenticeships. Students in this program gain sought-after healthcare skillsets and generally are immediately employable upon completion.
- Data Analytics. Data science is ranked the number one best job in America by Glassdoor, with starting salaries over 100K. Through CCM’s Data Analytics certificate program, graduates are well positioned to pursue work in the field.
- Medical Billing and Coding. CCM’s students who take part in this program are in demand because they train on the leading coding software in partnership with the American Academy of Professional Coders.
- Pharmacy Technician Apprenticeships. Through this program, adult students can train for a rewarding career in health care, earn while they learn, and get a good-paying flexible job in as little as seven weeks.
- Project Management. Students in this program gain highly sought-after competencies and are recognized by employers as possessing the profession’s preeminent global standard of knowledge.
As a participant in New Models for Career Preparation, CCM will receive a $50,000 grant. That funding will support program development and CCM’s participation in the study of workforce education and employment needs to determine how community colleges can accelerate high-quality, affordable and equitable non-degree programs that lead directly to quality jobs and careers. To learn more about the programs offered through the Center for Workforce Development, visit www.ccm.edu/workforce/.
