Courses in College

According to the U.S. Department of Labor website, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, also known as OSHA, was established to ensure a safe and healthy working environment for working men and women. The act is designed to provide the necessary training and education to maintain a high level of safety in a wide range of industries.

To work in these industries, new employees must attend OSHA training before beginning their new jobs. Today, there are plenty of options in OSHA training since community colleges nationwide have stepped up to answer the call for skilled laborers who understand the importance of safety on the job.

This video explains what OSHA is.

Determining a Need

OSHA includes specific training guidelines that must be applied to all businesses, from the employer down to all employees. The guidelines include:

• Determining whether there is a need for training
• Identifying training needs, goals, and objectives
• Developing learning activities and conducting training
• Evaluating the effectiveness of the program and creating improvements when necessary

The model set forth by the U.S. Department of Labor makes it much easier for smaller companies to conduct their training without going to the added expense of hiring professional trainers or purchasing expensive materials. However, the value of utilizing a community college program for OSHA training often makes this path the best choice for companies of all sizes.

Community colleges take the guesswork out of the

In the past, students who struggled in high school often didn't even bother with the idea of higher education. After all, if secondary school was difficult, then college would be nearly impossible, right?

However, a push for higher college graduation rates by President Obama, as well as truths discovered about many so-called remedial students, has led educators in community colleges across the country to redefine remedial education. As times are changing, more students are turning to special community college programs that are helping them see success in their education and lives after college.

In this video, two students discuss how they ended up taking a remedial math class.

What is Remedial Education?

According to WiseGeek.com, remedial education is "education designed to bring students who are lagging behind up to the next level of achievement realized by their peers." Students who found themselves in remedial education often felt they didn't have much chance at academic success beyond high school. Those who did qualify for college entrance often dropped out within their first year because they simply didn't have the background knowledge or study skills to succeed in a college setting.

The good news is that these students now have hope for making it through college and earning a degree, thanks to programs that help students develop the skills they need to succeed in higher education.

The Need for College Success

As more students flock to community colleges today, institutions are staying ahead of rising enrollment with creativity and flexibility. The newest offering at many community colleges across the country is early class times that allow for additional course offerings and work around professional students' busy schedules.

However, do classes before dawn really make the grade? We looked at three different community colleges with early course offerings to find the answer.

"Early Bird" Classes at Gateway

Gateway Community College in Connecticut is just one of the many colleges opening up their campuses for early birds. According to a report in the Hartford Courant, Gateway will begin offering its first set of "early bird classes" during its fall semester. The courses will begin at 6:30 in the morning and let out by 8 a.m., giving you plenty of time to make it to your day job.

"If you work the average day shift, this could be a simple way to get a class done before you go to work," Dean of Academic Affairs Mark Kosinski states on the college's website. Kosinski also told the Courant, "We are constantly looking for new ways to meet the needs of our diverse student body so we'll be looking closely at the results of this pilot to see whether it should be expanded beyond the fall semester."

In addition to flexible scheduling for professional students earning degrees while working full-time, the earlier schedules will provide more courses for Gateway's overflowing student

Most business owners understand that top-notch employee training offers the necessary edge in a competitive market. However, finding the time, money, and resources for such training is often out of the grasp of many small companies today.

The good news is that you can get your employees the training they need – sometimes at no cost to you! Community colleges have risen to the call of training the workforce in a variety of skills and industries.

Brush Up on Technical Skills at Brookdale

For business owners who want to help their staff refine their computer skills, Brookdale Community College in New Jersey has an affordable solution. The college is offering a variety of course options, beginning now and running through the end of the year, according to a report in Asbury Park Press. The program is funded by a state Department of Labor and Business industry grant, so employees can reap the benefits of the additional training at no cost to them.

According to Brookdale Community College, classes offered can benefit employees in the following ways:

• Help them achieve greater accuracy in technical jobs
• Help them manage staff and workloads more efficiently
• Show them how to develop business and serve current customers better

Classes include instruction in MS Excel, MS Word, and the basics of navigating Windows. Employers can also find training options in math and measurement, communications, and English as a second language. Courses are offered at the six different Brookdale campuses, or

As we have come to rely more and more on computer systems for our daily lives, the issue of security has become a more widespread problem. From the original fear over a "Y2K" bug that could wipe out entire financial records when the calendar changed to the rising concern over a variety of terror threats, our country is on the search for highly trained cyber-experts that protect our precious computers from whatever ills might befall. The result is a growing demand for cyber-security training – a challenge that many community colleges across the country have been more than happy to accept.

The Role of Community Colleges

According to a blog on Bank Info Security last year, community colleges are beginning to offer cyber-security training in hopes of tapping into funds President Obama has released to spend on strengthening IT security. While this blog has voiced concern over the quality of training some students may receive, other reports are attesting to the fact that community college education in this area can be high quality, affordable and practical.

This video reports on community colleges teaching cybersecurity.

Finding the Best Schools

To help students find the best schools for their needs, the National Security Agency has designated a few institutions as National Centers for Academic Excellence, according to a report in the Baltimore Business Journal. When an institution boasts this label, students can