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Just look at our job markets and our higher education scenario and you will know how much our schools are poised to be tested in the endeavor to produce twenty million graduates by the year 2020.

This huge burden has been placed on our country by our President to ensure that we remain competitive in the global economy. A huge burden has to be borne by all educational institutions especially our community colleges.

The recent economic recession has placed many Americans out of jobs and many more of them have enrolled in two year institutions in a bid to enhance their academic qualifications and skills and boost their career chances.

There are certain cities like Kansas that show an enterprising spirit. Community colleges here have formed strategic alliance with major companies in their areas and have ensured that students passing out are directly hired by these companies. In an interactive endeavor, companies too take an active interest in these colleges and instruct them to reshape curricula and teach students what exactly they need to work in their organizations.

At least thirty percent of our country’s occupations that are growing at a tremendous pace will be filled by students who have completed their post secondary education says the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to the Board of Regents, at least 900,000 adults of working age in Kansas City have no post secondary credentials. In Missouri, statistics show more than one million adults between ages 25 and 84 have no post secondary qualifications. This is the reason why many adults are now viewing community colleges as an excellent opportunity and as a ticket to jobs.

All this has led to over packed community college classrooms. In its 88 year history, Kansas Community College last year saw the highest enrollment. Most of the courses this year too are packed to the brim with no space for even one more student.

The same phenomenon can be seen elsewhere too. in California community college that had vacancy only for 30 students saw at least 45 of them vying for a seat this summer. In Kansas City Metropolitan Community College, the year 2008 saw an enrollment of 19,000. In the year 2010, numbers jumped to 21,000. In Kansas and Missouri, except in health care and other high demand areas, educators do not expect continued boom in enrollment this year.

There are hundreds of students on the waiting list of nursing MCC. This is a popular career oriented course that is very hard to get it. Students who do get in do not leave until they complete says the MCC student development vice chancellor Stanley.

Students are even prepared to wait for a year to get enrolled. Students like Melissa Weatherwax were in the waiting list for more than a year. Six months after she enrolled in the waiting list, she was laid off from Wells Fargo where she worked.

Luckily, she got into the course, graduated on time and started a new job in an area hospital. Community colleges in certain areas thus offer a wonderful opportunity and are understandably over flowing. It is definitely time to transform all other community colleges along similar lines and open up opportunities for many more people.