TCC enrollment soars as workers seek new skills

Virginia Brown found herself at a crossroads last year.

After years as a housewife and now with one child in college and three others close behind, she wanted to take a "pre-emptive strike against the empty-nest syndrome."

She wanted a job, and one with staying power in a recession.

She scoured the Internet specifically for in-demand jobs and discovered health information technology. Brown also found that Tidewater Community College offered it in a two-year degree.

"You know what they say, 40 is the new 20? The two-year degree is the four-year degree," said Brown, who started the health information program last August. "You want to make sure you're in a career where you are needed."

Many people are joining Brown. With jobs disappearing in an anemic economy, people are looking for more stable avenues to making a living, or for help retooling their skills for the sectors that are hiring. TCC's enrollment has mushroomed in the past decade - more than 40,000 are now enrolled annually - but its growth this spring has exploded.

School officials expect to end this spring semester with about 2,000 more students than it had last year at this time, about a 9 percent increase, double the projected rate.

The college, with campuses in most South Hampton Roads cities, continues its two-pronged mission: To serve as a springboard for those going to four-year schools and to be a flexible institution that creates new programs that flow with the economy.

It's a formula that is attractive in these times, said TCC President Deborah DiCroce.

Half of those enrolling are beginning their four-year college plans. The other half are those searching for career and technical training, people who have been laid off and want a new beginning, or who are ready for something new, but with a quick turnaround.

TCC launched 11 new certificate programs this school year alone after culling industry-needs assessments. For example, its Class-B truck driving program can be completed in five weeks. Its customer service certificate can be completed in two or three semesters of classes, but students are guaranteed at least one job interview with area companies after the core subjects, usually the first semester's classes, are completed. There are two certificate programs for "green design" for interiors and kitchen and bath design.

Administrators studied figures that showed an increasing demand for geospatial technology and will begin a Geographic Information Systems program in the fall semester. TCC also works with local businesses that need to create training opportunities for their employees.

Community colleges also offer a lower price. The average annual tuition and fees is $2,584 compared with $7,582 for in-state undergraduates at a public four-year institution.

DiCroce says she isn't overlooking the economy's bad news, but she prefers to focus on more upbeat forecasting data, such as the findings of Economic Modeling Specialists Inc., which show a projected 87,000 new and replacement jobs over the next five years for South Hampton Roads, she said.

"It's not just about closures. It's about the future of where openings are going to be," DiCroce said. "It's a structure to respond to a recognized need. We tend to see the side of the glass of that is half full, not half empty."

So does Pete Tapyrik.

The Virginia Beach resident retired from the Air Force last summer and knew he wanted two things from his next career - something he loved and something with job security.

He had always enjoyed baking and enrolled in TCC's culinary arts program.

"The good news about a crappy economy is that people are still going to have birthdays and anniversaries, and when they get their stimulus checks, they are going to have events they want to go to," Tapyrik said. "People are going to eat. And, for me, it isn't just making food for them. It's making it an experience."

After completing his associate's degree, he plans to move on to a larger culinary school or open an upscale bakery.

Michael Klefeker lost his job in television production last year. In his search for a career, he found intriguing TCC's modeling and simulation program. It would allow him use his theater and production background in a new arena. With a grant paying his tuition, he started the program in January. He plans to graduate in spring 2010. He's looking for any job now to pay the bills, but says that when he graduates, he'll be able to work in civil engineering, shipbuilding or the medical industry, making a higher-end income.

"This gives me the tools I need to combine my abilities," the Norfolk man said.

Brown, 39, thought she was too old to return to college. But once she decided, she was determined.

"I figured I needed to go in with both guns blazing," she said.

Brown was more convinced after she got 4 A's and a B in her first set of classes. Once she graduates and becomes a registered health information technician, she will be qualified to computerize patient records, assemble them and analyze them for accuracy or for controlling costs.

She expects to be eligible for many jobs but wants to continue her studies to earn a bachelor's degree and eventually work in the Veterans Health Administration. She said the income potential is in the six figures.

The field, Brown said, "is opening doors to areas that haven't been explored yet, and to be able to begin a career as this field begins to widen gives me great hope of being able to have infinite opportunities."

Denise Watson Batts, (757) 446-2504, denise.batts@pilotonline.com