Contact: Chris Chesrown
Media Relations Manager
480-731-8503

For Immediate Release

ENROLLMENT JUMPS AT MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGES
Job seekers looking to re-career part of surge

March 21, 2002 – As the jobless rate continues to climb in Arizona, so does the enrollment at the Maricopa Community Colleges. More than 3,000 additional students are enrolled in classes this spring, compared to fall student figures. The 7% increase in full-time student equivalency, or FTSE, comes on the heels of a 7.15% increase in enrollment (FTSE) for fall 2001. District wide, the headcount figures increased 3% this spring after a 5.72% increase in the fall.

“Historically, when the economy is struggling, displaced workers go back to school for training in fields that are showing more stability than the industry they left,” according to Dr. Mary Vanis, Director of the Center for Workforce Development. “We are seeing teacher education and nursing programs mushroom, in part because they are stable professions.”

Nationwide teacher and nursing shortages have created a demand for skilled workers, but as Vanis explains, “you’ll always find a job if you’re a teacher or a nurse.”

Students are also exploring fields where skills transfer. This is especially true in technology, an industry that has experienced its share of layoffs. However, plenty of opportunity remains for employees to re-tool their skills in the technology sector. The Maricopa Community Colleges have a number of innovative programs and partnerships with business, designed to increase productivity of new employees and update skills of existing employees.

The Maricopa Community Colleges offer 738 occupational programs. More than 60% of Maricopa Community College students are employed full-time or part-time, and studies show a direct correlation between academic achievement and higher wages.

At 6% Arizona is experiencing its highest jobless rate since 1996, according to state officials. Analysts say the biggest job cuts came in manufacturing, which lost about 1,000 jobs.

The official student counts are traditionally gathered on the forty-fifth day of classes. State funding is based on those figures. The FTSE figures involve a mathematical formula for figuring out how many students would be considered “full-time” students. Since many students must work, or they take classes elsewhere, only the classes for which they are registered are used in this formula.

The Maricopa County Community College District is one of the largest community college districts in the nation. It includes 10 colleges – Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Estrella Mountain Community College, GateWay Community College, Glendale Community College, Mesa Community College, Paradise Valley Community College, Phoenix College, Rio Salado College, Scottsdale Community College and South Mountain Community College. The District also includes the Maricopa Skill Center, Southwest Skill Center, several satellite campuses and business/industry, technical and customized training institutes and serves more than 277,000 students annually. For more information: 480-731-8000 or www.maricopa.edu

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March 13, 2002