January 2009

 

 

Courtesy of The Baltimore Business Journal                                         

 

 

Recession and Layoffs Boost Enrollment at Career Colleges

Baltimore Business Journal - by Ryan Sharrow Staff

While the nation continues to grapple with soaring unemployment rates and a widespread recession, it’s been anything but gloomy at most career colleges.

Professional schools are experiencing an increase in demand from displaced workers looking to try their luck in new industries, such as health care, technology and “green” construction. Undergraduate enrollment at career colleges in the U.S. has averaged an annual growth rate of 9.9 percent since 2003, according to the U.S. Department of Education. During the 2006-2007 academic year, more than 2.2 million people were enrolled at a career college in the U.S., according to the Department of Education.

And in Maryland — where the unemployment rate hit 5.3 percent in November — career schools are seeing the rise in demand as an opportunity.

In 2007, there were 156 approved private career schools in Maryland. That number climbed to 174 in 2008.

 

 

Photo by Nicholas Griner, Baltimore Bsuiness Journal Staff
Training in ‘in-demand occupations’ is sought after, says Dean Kendall.

 

 

Link to original story: http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2009/02/02/focus2.html

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