Colorado community colleges leading gender balancing effort in workplace
The Colorado Community College System has launched a five-year, federally funded effort to increase the gender balance of occupations in Colorado that are currently dominated by one sex or the other. The initiative is being funded with $60,000 annually from the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006.
"Despite the current unemployment level, Colorado is facing a chronic shortage of skilled workers for critical workforce needs," said associate vice president and provost Geri Anderson. "These jobs can be filled, in part, with men and women who have not traditionally entered a career due to gender stereotypes."
The effort involves increasing the number of women in career and technical education programs dominated by men and conversely doing the same for those programs in which females make up most of the enrollment. For example, Anderson said, more women are needed in science, technology, engineering and mathematics related fields. Women only earn 25 percent of all information technology degrees and certificates in the United States, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics.
Men are needed in child education, paralegal and occupations assisting doctors and dentists, he said.
The effort involves helping 19 higher-education institutions execute voluntary action plans. The institutions include: Arapahoe Community College, Colorado Northwestern Community College, Community College of Aurora, Community College of Denver, Front Range Community College, Lamar Community College, Morgan Community College, Northeastern Junior College, Otero Junior College, Pikes Peak Community College, Pueblo Community College (including its Southwest Colorado Community College division), Red Rocks Community College, Trinidad State Junior College, Aims Community College, Colorado Mountain College, Western Colorado Community College, Pickens Technical College, Emily Griffith Opportunity School and Delta-Montrose Technical College.
In September, the system will award mini-grants in amounts up to $20,000 to institutions who formulate feasible plans for increasing the balance in their gender-disproportionate CTE programs.
"This effort to expand Colorado's pipeline of skilled workers aims to help all career and technical education providers in our state learn how to assist individuals with finding a viable career that fits them personally as well as meets current workforce demands," said system director Lorrie Toni. "Our goal is that from 2009-2014, the current trend of non-traditional gender participation decreasing in programs dominated by a particular sex will be reversed."
Educators or employers wanting more information about the project may contact Toni at 1-303-595-1565.
