Thrusday, January 07, 1999
Tech colleges sell value of education
BY ANDREA TORTORA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
EDGEWOOD — Going back to school could make some Kentuckians $200,000 richer.
That's the message the state's system of community and technical colleges is putting out. It's part of an effort to increase enrollment in the system's 15 technical and 13 community colleges.
The television, radio and newspaper ads say it all: A person with two years of college earns about $200,000 more in 20 years than a high school graduate.
“We want to encourage the economic value of a higher
education,” said Tim Burcham, spokesman for external affairs. “We want to get that message to people who may not feel there is much for them to go back to school for.”
The system of colleges, created by Gov. Paul Patton in 1997 and called the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), is coming off a five-year enrollment decline.
There were 14,065 students in technical colleges and 41,957 in community colleges last year. Educators say the strong economy is responsible. With plenty of available jobs, more people are choosing work over school.
But employers say they need more workers with more technical skills. According to KCTCS, 80 percent of new jobs require at least two years of college.
The challenge for the technical and community colleges is keeping the adult population in school. Mr. Burcham said there are no set enrollment goals, but officials hope the media campaign and a new focus on increasing spring enrollment will help boost numbers.
Another key objective is awareness. Kathleen Partlow, who helped create the ads, said the messages should tell residents there are colleges nearby with programs they can use. The schools offer general, technical and semiprofessional programs of two years or less, with credits transferable to four-year programs, as well as training for many Kentucky businesses.
Because the KCTCS budget is tight, Ms. Partlow's firm, Louisville-based Doe-Anderson Advertising and Public Relations, created the ads for free and got some media outlets to run the ads at reduced costs.
Earl Whitrock, president of Northern Kentucky Technical College, said many students (up to 60 percent) don't complete their programs because they take a job before they have a degree.
“We tell them when they are ready for a career to come back to us,” Mr. Whitrock said.
Northern Kentucky Technical College is taking part in the system's Spring into Action campaign, an effort to push enrollment in the spring semester.
Students in the school's medical programs said they like the college because it is close to home and provides hands-on experience with one-on-one instruction.
“I knew I wanted to be a medical transcriptionist and they are teaching me to do exactly that,” said Jeanette Ryan, 36, of Verona.
Tara Smith, 22, of Edgewood, left the University of Kentucky to study pharmacy technology. “It's much more of a one-on-one college. I'm not a number here.”
When classes start for the spring semester, there will be 231 new students studying at the college's three campuses, up from fall's total enrollment of 750. But Mr. Whitrock wants to increase enrollment in vocational education areas such as masonry, carpentry and welding, which are on the decline.
The media campaign, which will end Jan. 15 and start again later in the year, is focusing on parts of the state with traditionally low enrollment, Mr. Burcham said.
In the Tristate, ads can be heard on FM radio stations WFTM and WUBE.
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