Consider a Community College Education

The Community Colleges are the largest and fastest growing segment of public higher education in Massachusetts. Community Colleges serve over 225,000 students annually, in credit courses and non-credit courses. Community College students represent over 43% of the students in the public higher education system.

The Community Colleges are also an essential part of the workforce development environment in Massachusetts, providing over 5,000 workforce development courses each year for Massachusetts business and industry. Increasingly, Massachusetts' students and employers turn to the Community Colleges for education, workforce development, career training and lifelong learning. The Community Colleges respond to the changing needs of the population and the local and regional business community.

The Mission of the Massachusetts Community Colleges is to open pathways to education and careers, provide training for business and industry, and serve as a resource for solving community problems and enriching the lives of people in their communities. Community Colleges serve an academically, economically and culturally diverse population.

The greatest benefit of a Massachusetts Community College education to students is the increase in their earnings potential. A comparison of potential earnings with and without a Community College degree indicates that a Massachusetts Community College education more than doubles the full-time annual earnings potential of its graduates. Over the course of a student's working life, the increase in earnings attributable to a Community College education is approaching $400,000! These studies further show that as the earnings potential of the student increases; there are regional and local economic benefits, a broad collection of social benefits and return to taxpayers. The increased earnings potential begins immediately after graduation, continues throughout the working life of the student and leads to economic self-sufficiency.

Benefits of Community Colleges

• Community Colleges serve as community leaders, identifying opportunities, developing solutions to community problems and contributing to the region's intellectual, cultural, and economic development.

• Community Colleges support K-12 education through collaborative projects with approximately 98% of the school districts in the Commonwealth. Projects include summer enrichment programs, college planning and preparation, tutoring, school to career programs, as well as professional development for teachers.

• Community College students and faculty provide direct services to the community through tax preparation, public health initiatives, outreach to the elderly, law clinics, dental, physical therapy and health care clinics.

• Community Colleges support and offer arts, cultural, sports and recreation programs and host walk-a-thons, sports tournaments, conferences, concerts, art shows, summer programs for youth, elder hostels and other events.

• Community Colleges offer a wide range of not-for-credit courses to the community. These Community Education programs provide opportunities for career and personal enrichment through a full variety of courses.

• Community Colleges serve students with many academic and economic challenges who might not otherwise have access to higher education; offering students a solid set of academic, career and technology skills that open doors to career growth and lifelong learning.

Editorial provided by Bill Hart, Deputy Director, Massachusetts Community Colleges Executive Office, Boston, MA.