Steve Hucke

After working 17 years as a machinist for Boeing, Steve Hucke was laid off. He was  one of many thousands. "I had dabbled in supervision but didn't have the education for it, so I used my Worker Retraining benefits to get my Business Management AAS and make a career change from industry to management." Steve graduated from Green River in December 2004 and found work in the corrections industry. "Something that I had never planned on or imagined in my career path. My business management degree, coupled with my experience in industry, helped me make the transition and become the safety officer for the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. It's been almost a year since the new multi-million dollar facility has opened and I am now the Acting Associate Warden overseeing 132 employees and 500 detainees.

"The most valuable courses that I took at Green River were Bus Ed 100, Economics, and Accounting. I work with million dollar accounts and contracts on a daily basis. I use Mark Blaisdell's theories about 'just-in-time' and 'supply and demand' all the time. You might say I got quite a lot out of his class and his instruction style. Things have come full circle and I am now teaching some sections of our employee training using the skills I gained at Green River (yes, even Kate Katims speech class is proving to be extremely useful). Sometimes you don't know where your path will lead, but now I have an education that has helped open new horizons in my career."
 

 
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Before 9/11 Margery Renn worked in the IT department of an insurance company.   Like many insurance companies, after September 11th, they lost their underwriting and made a lot of cut backs. Margery was one them.

She had difficulty finding a job because she lacked the technical skills that many employers required.  "Most companies wanted current main frame experience and at least five years of PC programming.  I only had three years of PC programming and my main frame experience was outdated."  Luckily, Margery who supports her mom, qualified for Worker Retraining dollars.  She started attending Green River and enrolled in the CIT program in spring 2002. She was offered a job half way through last quarter.  "I did not get a chance to finish my last two classes. But I hope to be able to do that some day."

Margery now works for a "data-providing" company called 10Kinfo located in Bellevue. "I wear many hats!' she said. She is currently the Development Manager, (managing four people), Program Analyst and Junior Database Administrator. 

When asked what she liked most about her time at Green River, she said, "My favorite class was Small Group Discussion. This should be a required class for everybody. The emphasis was on cooperation vs. competition. When everyone pulls together a lot more can be accomplished." Margery is definitely utilizing this philosophy along with all her up-to-date high tech skills in her new job.

A monthly newsletter that gives you the facts...           April19, 2005  -  Vol. III, Issue vi

Welcome to The Report Card, a monthly newsletter containing information on various topics related to institutional effectiveness.  This issue is on Employment After GRCC.

Background: 

Green River offers over thirty professional/technical programs in the areas of business, industrial technology, trades, and health sciences.  Each year, an average of 1,000 new students enroll in a professional/technical program for the purpose of work-related training.  Typically, students enrolled in professional/technical programs account for about one-third of Green River’s total annual enrollment. 

Green River assesses the success of its professional/technical students through the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges’ Data Linking for Outcomes Assessment (DLOA) tracking system. Professional/technical students are grouped into a cohort based on the year in which they either completed a program or left the college.  College records for these students are then matched with Employment Security unemployment insurance records in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, and Montana to evaluate job placement and wages both prior to enrolling at the college and up to nine months after exiting their professional/technical program. Students who become self-employed or employed in states outside the Northwest are not included in the DLOA tracking system. 

Many professional/technical students leave Green River before obtaining a degree or certificate. The reasons for exiting early are widely varied.  Many students tend to leave when they feel they have achieved a particular skill level necessary for industry or are able to get a job. These students have taken substantial course work in a professional/technical program and have gained the skills needed to make them employable in their field of study. Therefore, students who have finished all program core courses equaling 45 credits or more with a 2.0 GPA are considered successful and prepared for work by the SBCTC. For the purpose of this report, these students have been combined with graduates and are labeled "completers." 

Highlights:

The percentage of Green River students who completed a professional/technical program has varied since 1999, with a high of 62% for the 2001-02 cohort and a low of 47% for the 1999-00 cohort. The completion rate system-wide has remained fairly consistent over the last four years, increasing slightly over the last year to 60%.
(See Figure 1). 

The majority of Green River students were employed seven to nine months after leaving the college, although the estimated employment rate is somewhat higher for completers.   

·         For the 2002-03 cohort, 77% of Green River completers was employed compared to 74% of leavers. System-wide, 80% of completers was employed compared to 74% of leavers. (See Figure 2). 

·         Over the last four years, the estimated employment rate decreased somewhat for all completers and leavers, both at Green River and system-wide. These employment rates were reflective of the economic conditions in Washington. The annual average unemployment rate increased from 4.7% in 1999 to 7.2% in 2003 (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics). 

In general, the percentage of male students employed seven to nine months after leaving the college was slightly higher than that of female students over the last four years.  

·         76% of male completers from the 2002-03 cohort was employed compared to 77% of male leavers. 78% of female completers from the same cohort was employed to 70% of female leavers. (See Figure 3).  

·         Overall, the employment rate for both male and female students at Green River decreased over the four-year period (12% for male completers/7% for male leavers and 9% for female completers/7% for female leavers).  

Although the median hourly wage fluctuated for Green River students over the four-year period, it remained slightly higher than the system-wide median. Also, the median hourly wage (after adjusting for inflation) decreased over the last four years for both Green River and system-wide.  

·         The 2002-03 cohort of Green River completers earned $13.78 per hour compared to $13.43 system-wide. Green River leavers earned $13.43 compared to $12.34 for leavers system-wide. (See Figure 4). 

·         The median hourly wage for Green River students decreased by 17% for completers and 8% for leavers. System-wide, wages decreased by 2% for completers and increased by 1% for leavers. 

The median hourly wage for female students was considerably lower than that for male students.  Male completers had the highest hourly wages whereas female leavers had the lowest.  

·         Male completers in the 2003-03 cohort earned $14.94 per hour compared to $12.77 for female completers. Male leavers earned $14.28 per hour compared to $12.42 for female leavers. (See Figure 5). 

·         The median hourly wage for male completers decreased by 23% over the last four years compared to 12% for female completers.   

In general, whether students complete or leave their program of study, their post-college wage is higher than their pre-college wage (with the exception of completers from the 2002-03 cohort).  

·         Overall, when combining all four cohort years, students completing a professional/technical program at Green River increased their hourly earnings by 9% compared to 5% for those who left the program.
(See Figure 6). 

·         Similarly, all female students who completed their program increased their hourly earnings significantly whereas male earnings decreased slightly. The median hourly wage gain for female completers was $1.91 compared to a loss of $.34 for males. Female leavers had an hourly wage gain of $.50 while male leavers had a $.64 per hour gain.
(See Figure 7).