More than 100 Chamber members and business professionals attended the annual North Shore Educators’ Forum on Jan. 10 at the Peabody Marriott.
The Business Insight Breakfast gathered educational leaders from around the North Shore together for an engaging dialogue on higher education and adult education.
The educators spoke about preparing the next generation of the workforce and how their institutions are molding students through classroom instruction, skill building and internships.
The speakers were: Dr. Bill Heineman, president, North Shore Community College; John Keenan, president, Salem State University, Brian Pellinen, interim president, Montserrat College of Art, and Dr. Heidi Riccio, superintendent-director, Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical High School.
Heineman provided an update on the state’s new program to offer free community college to adults, saying the move will help address the labor shortage facing all industries. Students who take part in the program must be 25 years old or older at the start of their studies, and a Massachusetts resident for at least one year. They cannot have an associate or bachelor’s degree, and they must enroll in at least 6 credits in a certificate/degree seeking program. Students are given a timeframe to complete their coursework to remain eligible for the program.
Through this program, employers will find a greater pool of candidates with college credentials, and a more diverse workforce, Heineman said.
Heineman also shared an update on the college’s new Henderson-Bertolon Simulation Center, which opens this month, The center will offer hands-on training for students in the health professions in a state-of-the-art environment. The college is also New Strategic Employer Relations Division, which will work with area employers to address the ongoing labor shortage, he added.
Keenan, the Salem State University president, spoke of how the college is addressing the needs of its diverse, large student population. Through the MassGrant Plus Expansion program, full tuition and a $1,200 expense stipend is available to students who meet federal eligibility requirements for a Pell grant.
Salem State is also working to create simulation labs and training facilities for students to gain hands-on learning. At their new CyberRange center, students can practice encountering a cyberattack, he said.
Pellinan started off his update by noting that the amount of students arriving at college with past work experience as a teenager is on the decline. This means educators must now teach skills they previously didn’t need to cover, he said. Montserrat, like other colleges, is expanding its campus work program so students can gain these skills along with classroom instruction.
Pellinan also sought to debunk stereotypes surrounding art school, noting that only six percent of students at Montserrat study painting. The more popular areas of study are animation and graphic design. Montserrat students are at the forefront of the virtual world, learning how to create and understand artificial intelligence, virtual reality and video games.
With an interest in technical education spiking, Essex North Shore offers three shifts for students to learn – day students, night students, and a partnership program where students work and learn, Riccio said.
Career Technical Agricultural Education (CTAE) is preparing students to address the needs of the workforce, putting a priority on manufacturing, information technology including AI, health and life sciences and construction, Riccio said. The school continues to expand its programs, and seek any grants or funding that becomes available. Through its pathway to college partnerships, students are able to take early college classes or have a dual enrollment, she said.