Continuing education geared toward retraining

Augustana College economics professor William Conway puts job training in perspective by saying his grandchildren probably will be going to school until they retire.

What he calls human capital will become a by-product of continuing education -- an industry all its own being dominated by the community college and even picked up by four-year colleges and universities, experts say.

In college handbooks across the country, continuing education programs have become as common as the College of Arts and Sciences. But local schools are in the best position to dominate the retraining market.

``Community colleges will play a big role in help retraining,'' said Sharon De Frieze, executive director of the Quad-City Area Labor Management Council, describing those learning institutions as experts in the area.

Educators at Black Hawk Community College say retraining is already their focus -- and programs are constantly getting stronger.

``This has been what we have been about,'' said Melanie Smith, director of Continuing Education/Community Services at Black Hawk. ``This particular focus certainly has been true of community college since they were instituted.''

Ideas for programs are not in short supply with simple computer classes giving way to specific disciplines like massage therapy. Plus, community colleges are altering class schedules, offering distance learning, and going to the students.

Why? Because they can, and most companies can't on their own, Ms. Smith says.

``More partnerships are forming,'' she said. ``Most people aren't Motorola and can't start Motorola University.''

So what has happened, is companies have invested in their employees and sent them back to school.

``It's necessary -- if you want to remain active, you have to update knowledge and skills,'' she said.

Even before community colleges, John Gardner, retiring president of the Quad-City Development Group, said traditional schools must rethink education for kindergarten students up through high school seniors.

Teaching basic skills of math, communication, reading and writing will lay the proper foundations to build upon throughout a professional's career.

``We have to solve the problems and recognize that learning is a life long process, he said. Schools have to be plugged into the business system.