Indigenous people have long faced barriers to higher education, and Minnesota’s new tuition-free program could help turn some of those dreams into reality.
This fall, the state launched its North Star Promise initiative, which qualifies households with incomes under $80,000 for free tuition at state colleges and universities. Experts say the limited scholarships are one of the many obstacles Native Americans face in the world of higher education.
While Anna Sheppard, president of White Earth Tribal and Community College, doesn’t expect the new program to lead to a major increase in enrollment, for students who receive assistance, it could take their path to college to a new level.
“What I really appreciate is that they don’t have to graduate with debt,” Sheppard emphasized. “Maybe they get a master’s or a doctorate, then they don’t have to worry about that.”
She noted that juggling student loans and other college debt often prevents Native Americans from pursuing advanced degrees. Research from the Postsecondary National Policy Institute shows that graduate enrollment among Native Americans declined 18% between 2010 and 2020.
Sheppard noted that White Earth’s ability to attract more tribal students means they can learn about in-demand careers and technologies, such as solar energy.
“We also have a solar array on campus, so they can see a system in operation,” Sheppard explained. “Right now, it’s powering our purpose-built education building.”
She said the solar courses they offer, which include teaching how to install solar panels, are giving students better opportunities after graduation as more projects are landed in Minnesota. Industry leaders said they are finding it harder to fill positions as they increasingly offer good wages and benefits.
Support for this reporting was provided by the Lumina Foundation.
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While some community colleges and technical colleges in North Dakota have had success in increasing student enrollment, they have not escaped the statewide challenges of recruiting sufficient faculty.
According to the National Education Association, the number of teachers at two-year institutions in the United States has declined by 5 percent over the past decade. At two out of three community colleges, the average decline was 17 percent.
Lisa Karch, vice president of academic affairs at North Dakota State College of Science, said there have been ups and downs in retention, noting that there were some unfilled positions at the start of this academic year. She argued it was important to have enough faculty to keep specialized class sizes smaller.
“For our laboratories, it is really a question of safety,” Karch emphasized. “Whether it is a welding laboratory, a diesel laboratory, a heating, ventilation or sanitation laboratory.”
She stressed that succession planning efforts have been accelerated as more teachers are expected to retire in the near future. The school has also launched a new program where existing staff will receive additional training support on innovations related to their teaching material, making their professional development demands less burdensome.
Bismarck State College, which offers both two- and four-year degree programs, reports difficulties competing with the private market.
Dan Leingang, the school’s vice president for academic affairs, said certain teachers are being lured with job offers they can’t pass up.
“We see a difference in salaries,” observed Leingang. “Especially in highly technical areas, the industry pays very high wages due to demand.”
Public schools have a harder time fulfilling such offers. But Leingang added that they are taking advantage of higher enrollment numbers and reinvesting the revenue in faculty salaries and bonuses. Like the State College of Science, they are also relying on industry leaders in the region who are available as part-time faculty to fill gaps and ensure students receive a well-rounded learning experience.
Support for this reporting was provided by the Lumina Foundation.
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While the economy continues to struggle with inflation and lingering fears of a possible recession, the country’s labor market will see more good jobs over the next decade, according to a new report.
Skilled trades offer solid career opportunities and are even more promising due to massive public and corporate investments in infrastructure and the energy transition.
Artem Gulish, senior adviser for federal policy at Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce and co-author of the report, said most good jobs require a bachelor’s degree or specialized qualification.
“Sixty-six percent of good jobs will go to workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher, and 15 percent will go to workers with a high school diploma or less,” Gulish reported.
A good job is defined as an annual salary of at least $43,000, with a median annual salary of $74,000 for workers ages 25 to 44. West Virginia is among the five states with the highest expected share of jobs for workers with a high school diploma or less, according to the center’s data.
The mass exit of baby boomers from the labor market and artificial intelligence will drive changes in many sectors of the economy in the coming decade. Gulish pointed out that blue-collar jobs such as construction, healthcare, maintenance and repair will increasingly require post-secondary education.
“These jobs will increasingly become the responsibility of middle-skilled workers with more specialized skills,” Gulish stressed.
The report also pointed to the quality of jobs beyond salary in the future employment landscape, including access to health insurance plans and retirement benefits. Data shows that 89% of workers in the highest pay bracket have access to health insurance plans and retirement benefits, compared to just 30% of workers in the lowest pay bracket. Flexible work hours and access to health programs are more common in higher-paying jobs.
Support for this reporting was provided by the Lumina Foundation.
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SUNY Morrisville recently completed its first courses at the Offshore Training Wind Institute in New York.
The government-funded program is part of an effort to build a clean energy workforce. In addition to training for wind engineers, the program provides students with hands-on lab and real-world experience.
Benjamin Ballard, a professor of renewable energy at SUNY-Morrisville, said the goal of the Offshore Wind Training Institute is capacity building.
“Building capacity means developing training specifically for wind engineers, but also building a stream of students from K-12 schools,” Ballard explained. “The training we propose in our offering starts with career orientation at the K-12 level and offers some micro-certifications.”
He noted that the microcertificate courses provide a good introduction to renewable energy. Other courses include electrical theory for renewable energy systems, tower climbing safety and how wind turbines work. Ballard noted that the school is seeking workforce development funding to make the program a more cost-effective long-term program. This can help students pay for school tuition and transportation costs.
Although Morrisville’s program is relatively new, student feedback has been positive.
Malcolm Ivers, a former Morrisville student who currently works as a wind engineer for RWE, said the most useful thing he learned was industry standards and practices. He advised students to develop a diverse range of skills.
“Take electives, take unnecessary courses just to see what’s out there and to boost your resume,” Ivers urged. “The opportunity to put an EPA 608 certification on your resume may not feel valuable, but it’s about making yourself a well-rounded candidate.”
Ivers added that he was drawn to the field by the strong employment prospects. Clean energy jobs in New York State grew more than 8% between 2020 and 2022, a trend that is expected to continue as the state continues its energy transition. In particular, wind energy jobs grew 52% between 2016 and 2022.
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