Providing Support and Information to be Focus of New Collaboration

According to Building Illinois’ Workforce of the Future, a new policy brief by Women Employed, nearly half of older students enrolled in college left school within three years without a degree or certificate. Yet a growing body of research demonstrates that early guidance and effective support services can increase completion rates.

On Wednesday November 18th, Women Employed will bring together community college administrators from across the state, all members of Women Employed’s Clear Connections Project (CCP), an innovative collaboration aimed at helping more students access support services that will enable them to succeed in college. Members will discuss ways to implement recommendations from the policy brief in order to improve completion rates.

“So many community college administrators are looking for ways to improve graduation rates for low-income, adult students,” said Meegan Dugan Bassett, Senior Policy Associate at Women Employed. “We’re confident that attendees will return to their campuses and make changes that will help thousands of Illinois college students.”

Building Illinois’ Workforce of the Future identifies barriers that prevent adult and low-income students from completing college programs, and recommends changes that colleges, state agencies, and policymakers can implement to help more students succeed. “Many of our students drop out for reasons that can be prevented—because they didn’t know about the availability of childcare, or career guidance services, or financial aid supports, or even how to navigate all of our college systems,” said Pam Westerdahl, Director of Workforce Services at Heartland Community College. “We have to make sure students know the resources that are available to them, and we have to be equally sure that we’re ready to meet them where they are, not where we want them to be.”

At Wednesday’s meeting, college administrators will discuss ways to improve completion rates for adult students, including clear, simple application and registration processes and early guidance to help students avoid taking unnecessary classes and exhausting financial aid before they complete their programs.
Participants will also look for ways to make sure that students and prospective students know about key resources, such as training all staff who may have initial contact with students to talk about available services.

“At the core of the community college mission is helping students achieve their dreams through education,” said Jean Kartje, Vice President of Instruction at Kishwaukee College. “I’m really looking forward to meeting with colleagues to learn more about Women Employed’s Clear Connections Project and discuss ways to further improve the effectiveness of our programs.”

Visit www.womenemployed.org download Building Illinois’ Workforce of the Future, and to find out more about Women Employed’s programs and services.

About Women Employed Women Employed is a 36-year-old non-profit organization that promotes fair workplace practices, helps increase access to training and education, and provides women with innovative tools and information to move into careers paying family-supporting wages. For more information, visit www.womenemployed.org.