(WHTM) – Leaders of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges (PACCC) say schools need the money and are calling on the government for more financial help.
“I think this is an important opportunity for more lawmakers to see and hear. The important work that community colleges do across the state, providing educational opportunities for students and training the workforce of the Commonwealth,” said Elizabeth Bolden, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges.
Pennsylvania’s 15 community colleges educate 230,000 students annually in all 67 counties, making it the largest provider of public undergraduate post-secondary education in the state.
“So what we need is additional funding for community colleges, so that individuals across the Commonwealth can access post-secondary education and training so that they can retrain or obtain a new job and earn enough money for their family,” Bolden said.
PACCC’s state budget request included increased operating appropriations, increased capital appropriations, funding to bolster Pennsylvania’s health care workforce, and regulatory and statutory relief for community colleges.
“Community colleges truly touch every community and every family in the Commonwealth, and it’s important for lawmakers to go through this budget process to make decisions that will support the Commonwealth and help it grow,” Bolden said.
These colleges offer more than 1,400 credit programs that match workforce training to workforce needs, and with the right help, these programs remain available.
