News
Nunez Chancellor Invited to the White House for Aerospace Workforce Roundtable
WASHINGTON D.C. (press release) — The Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program at Nunez Community College was represented at a Space Workforce Roundtable at the White House in Washington D.C. by Nunez Chancellor Tina Tinney, Ed. D.
Dr. Tinney received an invitation to participate in the roundtable discussion, which was facilitated by the Office of the Vice President, the National Space Council, the Department of Labor and the Department of Education, just two days prior to the Oct. 3 event. After leaving the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) Annual Conference in New Orleans Oct. 2, Dr. Tinney flew to D.C., participated in the Space Workforce Roundtable, and caught a return flight to New Orleans within 24 hours.
Nunez’s Aerospace program, represented by Dr. Tinney, was part of a roundtable discussion comprised of approximately 30 federal authorities, education leaders and industry representatives. The focus of the discussion was strengthening, diversifying and growing the aerospace workforce. Educational pathways and industry-based credentials that train future technicians in core competencies were shared.
The American Workforce Rule is “1:2:7” which means that for every 10 careers in the U.S. economy, only one requires an advanced degree, two require a bachelor’s degree, and the remaining seven require an associate degree or an industry credential that demonstrates a skill. Dr. Tinney shared new research that indicates a shift in the rule to “1:2:10.”
“That’s a critical piece of information because it indicates a higher level of responsibility for the community college system to produce even more skilled individuals to drive our economy. There’s no doubt that the mission of our colleges is what drives economic prosperity,” said Dr. Tinney.
“There was a targeted conversation about the aerospace competency model presented by the Department of Labor and what the curriculum standards should be. The takeaway was ‘we need more technicians and support.’ They need employees in the aerospace industry, and the heaviest weight is not on four-year institutions.”
As a result of the meeting, Nunez Community College will participate in the Space4All campaign launched by the U.S. Department of Education. The campaign STEM awareness campaign was recently launched to expose individuals to opportunities aligned with the aerospace industry, the economic impact of the industry, and to spark students’ interest in STEM careers and space exploration.
Additionally, Nunez Community College will serve as a subject matter expert in vetting a nationwide aerospace competency model being developed by the U.S. Department of Labor to establish critical curriculum for aerospace pathways.
