Disruptive changes to current business models have had a profound impact on the employment landscape over the last decade. In fact, for many industries, the most in-demand occupations or specialties did not exist 10 or even five years ago, and the pace of change is accelerating. The impact of technological and other changes is shortening the shelf-life of employees’ existing skill sets. In such a rapidly evolving employment landscape, the ability to foresee and prepare for future skills requirements is increasingly vital for every business and organization in order to fully seize the opportunities presented by these trends.

With this accelerated change comes a rapid growth in middle-skill occupations, which require a high school degree and technical training but not necessarily a two or four-year college degree. It’s these jobs that many employers everywhere are struggling to fill. These are well-paying jobs with the potential for career growth, and they offer struggling families the real prospect of economic security. In the U.S., the need to fill these middle-skill jobs is threatening sustained economic growth and limiting opportunities for struggling populations.

However, if we look to our Colleges we can probably all agree that most institutions provide highly siloed training using outdated 20th century practices that are hindering progress on today’s talent and labor market issues. College institutions are struggling to keep up with the rapidly evolving changes. Increasingly, workers need to acquire skills on the fly and need greater learning options aligned to the specific and sometimes nuanced skills required for them to progress.

In response to this need, MiraCosta Community College has taken an innovative approach to accelerated work skills training by creating the Technology Career Institute (TCI) in Carlsbad. This marked a significant milestone in talent development with TCI offering a large variety of robust certificate programs that train students in the technical skills needed for growing industries such as advanced manufacturing and engineering, maritime technology, ROV/Drone technology, biotech equipment manufacturing, and even craft brewing. TCI offers programs that are tuition assisted using state-of-the-art equipment for a hands-on experience. The success of the program is exhibited in its more than 90% completion and employment rates. Students attending the training programs focus on exactly the skills needed and the training is more akin to on-the-job training, rather than just academic theory. Consequently, both students and employers are pleased with the outcomes as students enter the workplace much more job ready. TCI bridges the gap between traditional education and focused workforce training to swiftly educate and train a rapidly changing workforce, modeling a timely example of what is needed to transform the way we educate and train the next generation of workers.

For more information go to: tci.miracosta.edu