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About CSCAE
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Reports from the Field Course Providers Offer Added Value When it comes to allocating funds for California's schools, adult education all too often must settle for leftovers. That's why an entrepreneurial spirit is an almost essential quality of the 21st-Century adult school administrators. Writing grants, finding free classroom space, milking support from local businesses, in other words scrambling for every extra dollar - but always guided by what is best for their clients- is part of the day-to-day routine for most adult school directors and principals. The savvy adult educator sees rolling out a class much needed by the community, while at the same time putting something on the ADA bottom line, as the best of all possible worlds. Some California adult schools are doing just that through collaborations with private sector vocational education providers - mainly in the field of healthcare careers. One such private sector provider is Boston Reed (BR), whose classes are available primarily through adult schools. Currently some 45 California adult schools have contracted to offer the Napa Valley-based company's classes. The schools involved are able to provide their communities with hard-to-find healthcare training and collect a bit of ADA in the process. If completed successfully, the courses almost always lead to well-paying jobs or at the least entry-level positions to a field rife with advancement opportunities. The typical Boston Reed-school contract calls for the adult school to provide classroom, instructor and advertising in the school's course catalog and on its website. Curriculum, instructional materials, externship coordination, and assistance with marketing and instructor recruitment are all furnished by Boston Reed. The company also handles the enrollment process and prospective students can sign up at Boston Reed's website. Thanks to the growing medical needs of aging baby boomers, virtually any career having to do with healthcare is expected to experience explosive job growth through 2010 and beyond. Nurses are at the top of the list but countless other healthcare professionals are also sure to be in short supply. Unfortunately, adults seeking healthcare careers can face a tough challenge. State budget cuts have reduced class offerings at both community and four-year public colleges and existing nursing and allied health programs are overcrowded -some with 2-year waiting lists. Private institutions, such as Silicon Valley College, market health occupation classes but tuition is high, often as much as $20,000. Conversely, the tuition range for most BR classes offered by adult schools is $895 to $2495 for a 17 to 24-week course of study. A collaboration with BR means that even a relatively small California adult school can offer an affordable path toward a nursing degree. "It used to be that the only place you could obtain a nursing degree was through the college system," explains Boston Reed marketing director, Alice Chegia. BR's current course offerings include: Clinical Medical Assistant ($995), Administrative Medical Assistant ($895), Pharmacy Technician ($995), Orthopedic Technician ($1300), Medical Billing ($995), Vocational Nursing Prep ($2495) and Vocational Nursing ($8500). Soledad Adult School recently signed on with the company and had almost instant success. It promoted BR's Pharmacy Tech class via a public affairs program on a local radio station and immediately enrolled 28 students for the 160-hour course. Though that's a chunk of ADA, adult school administrators look on the courses not as revenue producers but as "value added" features of their programs and yet another way to serve their communities. Ms. Chegia says the minimum number of students for a viable healthcare class is 12 but the company is often willing to accept fewer students at the outset in order to establish a new class. Martinez Adult School offers four BR courses: Medical Assisting, Orthopedic Technician, Vocational Nursing, and Pharmacy Technician. The school was also invited by BR to partner with Job Corps on a Medical Assistant course at Treasure Island. Marshall Burgamy, the school's director, calls the association with BR a "positive collaboration between a public agency and the private sector. Our affiliation with the company enables us to offer these courses, most of which are not entry level, at less than half the tuition of a local college. One aspect of this public/private affiliation allows us to hire highly-qualified instructors. And since, in addition to their teaching duties for us, they must arrange for externships and provide other technical assistance to Boston Reed, these instructors often receive additional compensation from Boston Reed." He says some administrators believe adult schools should offer healthcare courses on their own without private involvement. Mr. Burgamy's response to that argument is that adult education budgets usually can't afford highly-trained instructors or expensive equipment, both of which are often required to successfully present such classes. Because the shortage is so acute, some observers believe that federal and state government will eventually be forced to allocate substantial funding to healthcare occupations training, and when that occurs established providers could reap a bonanza. Asked what advice he would give colleagues thinking about collaboration with a private sector course provider, Mr. Burgamy said, "As adult educators I think we all have to seriously consider it. Healthcare is a field with an extreme need for qualified personnel. My advice is to check your mission, check your ADA, and then ask 'does my community need this and should my school be in this field'?." Contacts: Alice Chegia, Boston Reed, tel. 800-201-1141, email:alicec@bostonreed.com, web: www.bostonreed.com; Marshall Burgamy, Martinez Adult School, tel. 925-228-3276, email mburgamy@martinez.k12.ca.us; Linda Coyne, Soledad Adult School, tel. 831-678-1279, email lcoyne@monterey.k12.ca.us
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