Multi-Year Roadmap Already Impacting Local Workforce
Special to The Oakland Tribune
By Elñora Tena Webb, Ph.D., Laney College Acting President
April 2010, Oakland, CA – Last year, at the age of 46, Jeff Lovelady found himself unemployed for the first time in his adult life. A journeyman carpenter, Jeff had worked for years framing houses and working with his hands. Now, as the economy collapsed and construction ground to a halt, Jeff’s tools sat idle and his prospects looked bleak.
Then Jeff came upon Laney College’s renewable energy certificate program, a first-of-its-kind curriculum designed to train students for the Bay Area’s burgeoning solar power industry. After a semester of coursework, learning new skills in an emerging technology, Jeff didn’t even get a chance to look for another job. A job found him. He’s now installing solar systems throughout the Bay Area for a fast-growing local startup.
Jeff’s story is what makes Laney College such an important place for East Bay students and businesses. Programs like this have the power to transform lives and fuel economic growth. In the years to come, Laney plans to help create thousands more stories just like his.
This week, the Laney College community unveiled its 2010 Educational Master Plan, a roadmap to guide our growth and development in the years ahead. Over several months, the Plan was created with the full participation of Laney’s students, faculty, staff, and partners. The Plan places a new emphasis on Laney’s role in aiding regional economic recovery with programs designed to provide students with the job skills and education necessary to enter the workforce.
Since its founding in 1948, Laney College has been a critical engine for the regional economy. Laney is an innovator in higher education, keeping pace with the tremendous creative forces of the Bay Area’s growing industries. Programs in fields such as biomanufacturing and green building ensure a well-trained workforce in the areas of greatest need. Graduates from our construction technology and culinary programs excel in these foundational trades. Through the Educational Master Plan, we will continue to meet the changing needs of the region with new programs to meet new demands.
With unemployment numbers on the rise, community colleges throughout the country have experienced significant increases in demand as workers seek new skills and education. Laney College is no exception. We’ve witnessed waves of new students eager to receive the training necessary to reenter the workforce. Laney now serves more than 14,000 students each semester, with a student body that reflects the incredible diversity of the surrounding community.
As this demand increases, unprecedented state budget cuts are making it harder and harder to provide this necessary education.
Faced with these challenges, Laney doesn’t plan to let the community down.
Through the Educational Master Plan, we’re responding to difficult economic times with a focus on maximizing existing resources and seeking out new ones. We will form new partnerships with local businesses, foundations and government. We will find new ways to prepare our students for today’s workplace.
As I look to the future, I feel truly honored to count myself as a part of Laney College, an institution that embodies the remarkable power of higher education to transform lives. I hope that in the days and years ahead, you’ll experience the vibrancy and energy of our community, whether as a student, a partner, or friend.
For more information, contact Public Information Officer Eliza Y Chan at elizachan@peralta.edu or 510-464-3161.
