The 2009 Community College Encore Career Grant winners are:

• Community College of Allegheny County
• Community Colleges of Spokane
• Grand Rapids Community College
• LaGuardia Community College
• Ohlone College
• Rio Salado College
• Southeastern Community College
• Union County College

Community College of Allegheny County ( Pittsburgh , PA ) will train dislocated professionals as certified Medical Office Managers — an occupation expected to grow nationally by 16 percent through 2016. Sixty 50+ students will move into the growing regional health care field working in physicians’ offices, medical clinics, medical practices and hospital health care facilities. 

Community Colleges of Spokane ( Spokane , WA ) , a regional leader in sustainability training, will develop an innovative program to help sixty 50+ adults make smooth transitions to new green jobs. The 40-hour course will help participants explore the nature of green jobs, learn how to become employed, or enroll in additional certification training.

Grand Rapids Community College ( Grand Rapids , MI ) , recognized by AARP for employment programs targeted to the needs of the 50+ population, will build on past success to expand local employer connections through a new employer training program, and will launch a course that increases the employability of 50 students for encore careers in health care.

LaGuardia Community College ( New York , NY ) will recruit twenty older immigrants who have worked professionally in social service and health care fields in their native countries for a course leading to employment as community health workers. People in underserved NYC communities will receive needed health information and services from these experienced, bilingual workers. 

Ohlone College ( Newark , CA ) will train seasoned electricians, general contractors, and tradespeople to become mentors and team leaders for economically disadvantaged youths entering the green-collar workforce.  Twenty “Green Encore Fellows” will get intensive solar energy training to design and install green energy systems and be placed with regional employers who have an urgent need for skilled supervisors and trainers.

Rio Salado College ( Tempe , AZ ) will increase the number of 50+ adults enrolled in teacher certification programs through joint marketing and recruitment efforts with AARP and local partners, including Experience Corps. Key elements of Rio’s model are options for undergraduate and master’s degrees, an online delivery format and a 24/7 helpdesk. 

Southeastern Community College ( Whiteville , NC ) w ill target outreach to 50+ low-income and  dislocated workers whose traditional income sources have disappeared for emerging green encore careers.  A new weatherization skills class will prepare 30 students for placement in jobs linked to the county’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds.

Union County College ( Cranford , NJ ) will prepare 100 professionals and volunteers over 50 as adult educators to fill the gaps in adult basic education, workforce development, and prisoner re-entry services.  Support systems are now strained for hard-to-employ individuals, including the increasing pool of ex-offenders in need of jobs.

The 2007 Community College Encore Career Grant winners are:

• Baltimore City Community College
• Broward Community College
• Central Piedmont Community College
• Coastline Community College
• Collin County Community College
• GateWay Community College
• Owensboro Community and Technical College
• Portland Community College
• Virginia Community College System
• Washtenaw Community College

Baltimore City Community College (Baltimore, MD) used an executive outplacement model to help African American women over 50 develop the skills they need to transition to encore careers.

Broward Community College (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) provided free seminars and career counseling for two months to help boomers explore local encore career and service opportunities.

Central Piedmont Community College (Charlotte, NC) provided experienced managers and executives with career coaching and peer networking opportunities to help them transition to the nonprofit sector.

Coastline Community College (Fountain Valley, CA) offered courses for older students interested in gerontology and elder-care careers.

Collin County Community College (Allen, TX) targeted boomers who have been laid off or retired from engineering and technology careers, helping them to get fast-track certification to become certified high school math and science teachers.

GateWay Community College (Phoenix, AZ) joined forces with local employers to help develop courses that train boomers for careers as caregivers.

Owensboro Community and Technical College (Owensboro, KY) encouraged experienced nurses to become adjunct nursing faculty at the community college level — filling a critical need to train the next generation of nursing students.

Portland Community College (Portland, OR) established a peer mentoring program for students over 50 who are enrolled in the college’s gerontology certificate or degree program, to improve student support and  boost retention.

The Virginia Community College (Richmond, VA) launched a recruitment effort to attract more boomers with college degrees to their existing fast-track teacher licensure programs.

Washtenaw Community College (Ann Arbor, MI) offered all-day encore career workshops for mid-career professionals who have lost jobs, white and blue collar, and want retraining to find social purpose work.

A profile of the 2007 encore college projects and lessons learned in the first round of grants can be found in the October, 2008 publication: "Pathways to Encore Careers: How 10 Community Colleges Are Preparing Boomers for Work in Education, Health Care and Social Services," published in October 2008 by the MetLife Foundation and Civic Ventures.