Future 2013 - We Deliver the Future 

Laying a Foundation for the Next 100 Years

NWTC will mark its 100th anniversary in fall, 2013. Our goal then will be the same as it was in 1913: to develop and maintain a well-educated, well-prepared workforce.

But the needs we meet, the methods we use, and the students we teach will look profoundly different.

To prepare for that next century, NWTC spent a year studying the external and internal environmental factors that will have the greatest impact on teaching, learning and working in our area. We provided the results in a report to legislators and community leaders: "Future 2013 - We Deliver the Future: Laying the Foundation for the Next 100 Years."

The trends and NWTC's strategy can be sorted into six broad categories.

Pre-College Level Preparation: Rural schools face declining enrollments, staffing difficulties, low family incomes, and limited infrastructure. Urban schools have similar economic problems, plus a student body with increasingly diverse needs.  And funding issues throughout the PK-14 system make it more difficult to provide vocational preparation or meet skill demands in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Strategic directions include creating more technical occupational experiences for high school students, enabling more high school students to earn college credit, and providing high schools with guidance tools and technical assistance.

Access and Success at NWTC: The College is seeing increased demand for services to older workers and retirees; English Language Learner and workplace Spanish instruction; and services and education that can be delivered to anyone regardless of time, place, financial condition, cultural diversity and academic readiness.

Strategic directions include ensuring that residents can learn the English skills and basic academic skills to succeed in degree and diploma programs; ensuring that all students succeed regardless of gender, ethnicity or disability; delivering more education off-campus; containing costs for students; and creating classes for older residents who want new careers.

Core and STEM Skill Development: General education skills, automation skills and understanding of sustainability are becoming important in all occupations.

Strategic directions include providing career context in general education courses;  building core skills and general education skills in technical courses; retooling core skill requirements to incorporate national standards, sustainability and entrepreneurship; and broadening opportunities in arts and humanities, leadership development, service-learning and international education.

Shortage of Skilled Workers: Employer demand for NWTC graduates is greater than the supply in 42 out of 60 programs. There is a growing need for technicians for 'Middle Skill Jobs' - those that require technical education beyond high school, less than a baccalaureate degree, spanning multiple skill areas. NWTC also plans to meet employers' needs in new economic sectors.

Strategic directions include supporting creation of micro-businesses; developing under-utilized sources of skilled workers including older workers, immigrants, under-employed and dislocated workers; providing 60 percent of the needed technical workforce; creating programs in emerging occupations; becoming an essential partner in economic development and contract training.

Education after the NWTC degree/diploma: Lifelong learning is becoming a requirement in every career field. Already, 25 percent of NWTC students expect to obtain another degree after graduating from NWTC.

Strategic directions include creating post-degree educational opportunities for every associate degree program, including credit transfer, CEUs and professional certifications.

NWTC as an institution: Competition for students and training customers will intensify as outside colleges and private trainers seek profits in the area. About half of NWTC's employees will be within six years of retirement in 2013, and qualified replacements will be scarce. Retiring baby boomers may be moving to fixed incomes, limiting tax investment, even as the remaining workforce needs more skill training than ever before.

Strategic directions include incorporating "Lean" principles at all levels, reducing reliance on property taxes, gathering more data for decision-making, promoting continuing education among employees, encouraging employees to delay retirement, and being on the leading edge in efficiency, program development and delivery, employee relations and customer service.

The goals are ambitious, but we look forward to meeting them,
because the difference we can make together is tremendous.

If you would like a copy of the Future 2013 findings or if we can serve you, please don't hesitate to contact us. You can find a copy of the Future 2013 report on NWTC's web site.

Sincerely,

 Dr. H. Jeffrey Rafn, President