Austin has drastic need for health, tech grads

The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce released its second annual progress report over the state of ACC last month. Despite enrollment rates already at a record high, the report recommends a drastic increase in the amount of graduates in health and technology related fields by 2015 in order to meet the Metropolitan Austin future workforce needs.

Currently, ACC's enrollment rate is growing slightly faster than the population growth of the Metro Austin area. The currently projected figures show the Austin area creating or replacing more jobs that require an associate or other post-secondary vocational certificate than ACC can provide. The May 2008 annexation of Round Rock into ACC's taxing district will aid in enrollment rates continuing to mirror the Austin area's projected 3 percent population growth rate.

ACC, along with the Austin Chamber of Commerce and 50 other educational and community organizations have undertaken the "20,010 by 2010" initiative to greatly increase enrollment from Metro Austin into post-secondary education by 30 percent over the 2005 baseline. As of 2008, 25 percent of high school graduates from the Metro Austin area immediately enrolled in ACC post graduation. Course enrollments show that ACC's two fastest growing enrollment areas over the past 5 years are college-level transfer classes taken by students planning to transfer credits to four-year colleges as well as health science classes taken primarily by students planning to enter the workforce after graduation.

Mike Midgley, ACC Vice President of Workforce Education and Business Development, sees all of the goals recommended by the Chamber of Commerce as reachable. "With the addition of our new campus in Round Rock, our enrollment rates should continue to climb through 2015," said Midgley.
Midgley went further to explain that among the factors hindering growth is the college's limited facilities. The addition of the Round Rock campus will help to alleviate some of this concern as the school plans on it being their largest campus when all development is complete, hosting over 11,000 students.

ACC produced 50 percent of the labor market needs in 2008 for allied health and nursing completers and graduates in students planning to enter the workforce after graduation.

To meet its target of graduating 1,163 students with allied health and nursing associate degrees, certificates or continuing education completions by 2015, ACC must achieve a compound annual growth rate of 3 percent from 2009 to 2011 and 4 percent from 2012 to 2015. According to the report, the addition of 100 nursing slots on the Eastview campus and health training programs planned for the new Round Rock campus should ensure success.

The report went on to state that ACC is well positioned to produce enough associate degree and post-secondary certificate earners to meet much of the overall local labor force needs. Other findings in the report include a slight decline in completion of degree and certificate programs from 2004 to 2007. ACC then made up all losses in 2008 with a 16 percent increase, year over year, to 1,994.

Within the recommendations of the report, the Chamber of Commerce outlined the following goals for ACC by 2015.

• Student enrollment will reach 45,000, a level projected to meet 90 percent of the local labor force need in 2015.

• Student completion of associate degrees and/or technical certificates will be 2,790 per year, a level projected to at least meet 90 percent of the projected labor needs in 2015.

• Student completion of allied health programs will be at least 1,163 per year, 90 percent of projected labor need in 2015.

• Student completion of non-health technical programs will be at least 810 per year, 90 percent of projected labor need, with particular focus on additional computer support specialists.