Policy Update on

U.S. Community Colleges:

Successes and Challenges of
Incorporating “Soft Skills”
into the Curriculum

TA3 Conference
Berlin, Germany
November 7, 2005

H. Martin Lancaster, President

North Carolina Community College
System
www.nccommunitycolleges.edu 919-807-7100
 The North Carolina
Community College System

Our mission is about JOBS:

■ Attracting good jobs with great
futures
■ Growing new jobs in new businesses
■ Teaching people the skills they need
to get and keep those jobs

North Carolina Community College System

H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 Who We
Are

■ A System of 58
Community Colleges

■ Credit, Non-Credit, Job Training

and Skills Upgrading, Literacy, and
Personal Enrichment Courses
■ Nearly 800,000 North Carolinians
enrolled last year in at least one
Community College course
North Carolina Community College System
H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 Economic Transitions

■ State economy was

primarily agricultural
100 years ago
■ Manufacturing emphasis

began in the 1950’s

■ Transition to information
and biotechnology North Carolina Community College System
applications
H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 Most Important Role of
Education in a Free Society

To create citizens who are both

productive and responsible:
Capable of earning a living
■ Able to make informed decisions
■ Ready to step into leadership
North Carolina Community College System
H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
Why Are “Soft Skills”
Important in the 21st
Century?
■ Dr. Dallas Herring, our
spiritual
“godfather”, said almost 50
years
ago:
“The only valid philosophy
for North Carolina is the
philosophy of total
education.”
■ Training is multi-dimensional.
North Carolina Community College System
H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 Because the World is
Changing

■ Greater need for skilled and

professional workers
■ Increasing globalization and
diversity
■ More service-oriented societies
■ Rapid advances in technology

North Carolina Community College System

H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 What Employers
Are Saying
■ Good grades and
technical expertise not enough.
■ Campus recruiters are looking for
“soft skills,” such as ability to
communicate well, work in teams, and
lead others.
■ Oral communication often cited most
important “soft skill” -- sorely lacking in
recruits coming straight from higher
North Carolina Community College System
education.
H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 What Employers

Are Saying

In a recent survey, employers in North Carolina

indicated how important the following are when
making hiring decisions:
■ Attitude and Demeanor 100 %
■ Communications Skills 98.4%
■ Appearance/Dress/Grooming 97.2%
■ Professional/Technical Certificates 79.9%
■ Grades Earned in College 53.6%

North Carolina Community College System

H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 Attitude is
Everything!
■ Employees must take pride
in their work.
■ Our competitors are not racing us to
the bottom…They are racing us to
the top.
■ It’s no longer “follow the money.”
Now, it’s “follow the brains.”
■ A good work ethic is still the most
important element in the workplace
readiness formula. North Carolina Community College System
H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 What North Carolina
Employers Are Looking
For

■ Personal Effectiveness
■ Flexibility
■ Leadership
■ Futuristic Thinking
■ Persuasion
■ Interpersonal Skills
■ Decision Making and Negotiating
Skills North Carolina Community College System
H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 Even More Critical
Are….

■ Written and Oral Communication

■ Teamwork
■ Creativity/Innovation
■ Diplomacy
■ Conflict Management
■ Customer Service
■ Problem Solving and Analytical
Thinking North Carolina Community College System
H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 How Policy Is Changing
the Way Skills Are Being
Taught
■ Half of NCCCS colleges (29 of 58)
provide specific “soft skills”
training at their college.
■ Many have incorporated “soft
skills” into their courses and
programs.
■ Others use career centers, student
activities, and campus workshops
as a means of delivery for “soft
skills.” North Carolina Community College System
H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 The Sky’s The Limit...
■ Student Clubs and Organizations
■ Field Trips
■ Leadership Retreats and
Conferences
■ Faculty and Staff Training
■ Student Orientation Courses
■ Student Peer Mentoring
■ Service Learning Programs
North Carolina Community College System
H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
How Policy Changes the
Classroom Environment
Many of our institutions
are adopting the concept
of the “Learning
College,” meaning an
engagement of the
learner that leads to a
demonstrable change in
the way that the learner
relates to his or her
environment.
North Carolina Community College System
H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 Durham Tech’s
“Vision for a Learning
College”
■ The ability to communicate
clearly, effectively and
respectfully both orally and in writing

■ The ability to recognize cultural

differences among peoples, to develop
tolerance for differences, and to act
appropriately with individuals of varying
cultures
North Carolina Community College System
H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 Durham Tech’s
“Vision for a Learning
College”
■ The ability to contribute
positively to the academic
and workplace environment
by demonstrating expected behaviors
(e.g. integrity, demeanor, attendance,
punctuality) and by working with others to solve
problems;

■ The ability to learn and to possess critical-

thinking and problem-solving skills necessary in
an ever-changing environment; and

■ The ability to recognize ethical dilemmas and to

identifyH. Martin
possible solutions.
North Carolina Community College System
Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 “Dream It, Do It”

Critical labor shortage coming as “baby boomers”

retire
Discrepancy in the needs of industry and the skills
of the available labor force
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) has
introduced “Dream It, Do It” campaign focusing
on “new reality”of manufacturing:
- Provides training for technologically sophisticated
industries
- Emphasizes “soft skills” necessary to work in high-
performance teams with greater autonomy than has
ever existed in work environment
North Carolina Community College System
H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 Workkeys and the
Career Readiness
Certificate
WorkKeys identifies skills and competencies needed
before learning begins
Career Readiness Certificate: Portable
credential that promotes career
development and skill attainment
Confirms to employers that an individual
possesses basic workplace skills, reduces
turnover, and enhances opportunities for
promotion

North Carolina Community College System

H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 a
Universal
Principle

■ Not unique to curriculum or credit

programs
■ Apply equally to training for:
– Business and industry.
– Persons in public service positions.
– Those seeking to become literate in their own or
another language.
– Those who have chosen to better themselves in
North Carolina Community College System
orderH. Martin
to Lancaster,
make the world
President a better place.
www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 Flexibility, Mobility
and Versatility

■ Still need more math, science,

technology, and communications
■ Employers increasingly looking for
creative leaders who solve problems and
have a passionate commitment to work
■ Team players needed who can negotiate
and work in an increasingly diverse
environment
■ Our Challenge: To incorporate into
all our curricula the philosophy of
TOTAL EDUCATION North Carolina Community College System
H. Martin Lancaster, President www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
Fifty-eight Institutions Educating and Training a World-Class Workforce
 Policy Update on
U.S. Community Colleges:
Successes and Challenges of
Incorporating “Soft Skills”
into the Curriculum

TA3 Conference
Berlin, Germany
November 7, 2005

H. Martin Lancaster, President

North Carolina Community College
System
www.nccommunitycolleges.edu 919-807-7100