Writer: Joshua Andino
2 min read February 2023— As labor constraints continue to be a key obstacle to the region’s growth, South Jersey’s higher education institutions discussed the shifting demographics and changing industries that are informing their decisions for how best to prepare talent pipelines for the future. At the opening panel of the recent Invest: South Jersey 2022-2023 launch conference, moderated by Rutgers School of Business–Camden Dean Monica Adya, education and healthcare leaders discussed the current landscape of higher ed and ways to build the workforce.
“Business and industry must be the leader of the conversation. Chambers of commerce, workforce development, rooms like this — I believe you’re going to have to go to a higher ed entity and seek marriage. It’s not a handshake anymore… so that the workforce dictates the rules of engagement and the credentialing of the people,” stated Frederick Keating, president of Rowan College of South Jersey. Keating added that the silo-driven nature of labor and education would have to go, if higher education wanted to remain relevant in providing the workforce for local industry.
Earlier last year, Rowan College announced its Premier Partnership with Inspira Health, highlighting the need for further collaboration between local industries and the institutions that prepare individuals for the workforce by providing scholarships, educational credits and internships with the healthcare provider that would accelerate and upskill both new students and those already in the workforce. Similarly, Provost and Senior Vice President Anthony Lowman highlighted the university’s partnership with Virtua Health, creating an entirely new college to provide more nurses, doctors and programs alongside its county college partners.
Virtua Health CEO Dennis Pullin told Invest: in a separate interview, “This affiliation created a new academic health system. It further distinguishes South Jersey as a regional hub for innovation, research and clinical discovery, and it puts us in a position to help train the healthcare workforce of the future.”
Local businesses could also be more proactive, with Phillip Heath, president and CEO of Samaritan Healthcare and Hospice adding that tuition reimbursement programs for upskilling opportunities were a priority of the providers’ new Institute for Education, Research & Innovation, “We’re proud to say we have a couple folks who have gone through our program, become RN’s, and now work for us in that capacity as opposed to the capacity they came in under…Creating new opportunities and new innovative ideas — the institute allows us to do that.”
Panelists agreed higher education would need to become more flexible as changing workforce requirements drive potential students and employers alike to reconsider what qualifies them to work. Merodie Hancock, president of Thomas Edison University, explained that TESU provided 66,000 credits through the school’s workplace learning program, amounting to $25 million in foregone tuition revenue with the objective of getting students with some credit no credential the necessary certifications to enter the workforce properly.
The conversation comes at a time when unemployment has dipped to a record low across the country — January’s job report noted 517,000 jobs created, and while New Jersey reached its pre-pandemic unemployment rate of 3.4% in December, compared to February 2020’s 3.5%, a number of Invest: interviewees noted that talent recruitment and retention remained a challenge. Panelists also discussed how Cannabis and Wind energy were two industries that higher ed could capitalize on to provide training and workforce development programs to support their own internal development and wider regional growth.
“Our whole model is changing. To the mayor’s comments with the new Camden highschool, we’re actively engaged with Superintendent McCombs on designing the curriculum, pathways so students walk out ready to go to a two year school, a four year school or straight into the workforce. That’s important. We have to be at the table for those discussions,” said Lowman.
The panel concluded that communication between schools and businesses would continue to be essential towards developing strategic and effective partnerships to address the needs of the region’s growing communities. “There’s a plethora of academic opportunities, from college credit, community colleges, workforce development, one-stop shops, research universities, it’s the ongoing communication with industry and the honest feedback. The other piece is, if it’s not working, don’t just shut down. Go back and say ‘Hey, we’re still missing something in the skill-set we need.’ Go into the room, shut the door and have the conversation.” Hancock said at the end of the panel. “Keep the communication going… You’re rich, Southern New Jersey,” she concluded.
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