To meet evolving workforce, Gordon adds 30 academic programs

Beginning next fall, Gordon College will offer new and expanded academic programs for in-demand areas of science, business, psychology, communication, education, and others.

Officials say the move came after an assessment of how the Wenham college could better match the career and vocational needs of its students with an evolving workforce in the region.

“The events and challenges of the last few years—in public health, politics and even daily life—have raised the bar for how we can best prepare our students for where their roads may lead after graduation, to bring hope and confidence in facing uncertainty and change,” President Mike Hammond said in a statement. As our world changes, “we must always interest and in-demand,” Giambusso explained.

Giambusso noted that overall enrollments at Salem State – like the majority of comprehensive regional state universities in the north and northeast – has declined over the past decade, but these disciplines are still drawing strong interest.

“In terms of the percentage of the student body who chooses each of be innovating, finding ways to enhance what we can offer, especially in building on our strong academic programs.”

Looking towards the next decade, Rick Sweeney, the vice president for Communications and External Affairs at Gordon, said he suspects the health sciences and nursing programs will place among their top concentrations.

“These are areas in great demand for employment (even more so post-pandemic), on the cutting edge of learning and technology, and particular areas of expertise and opportunity in the greater Boston area,” he said. “Like the Chamber and its members, we’d love to have as many Gordon graduates as possible settle down in our region after they finish college.” these majors, all five have remained strong,” she wrote in an email. “These majors have remained at the top of the list of most commonly chosen majors since 2018.”

Meanwhile, the majors that have seen the greatest growth in numbers over the last five years are education, geological sciences, nursing, and interdisciplinary studies, Giambusso added.

Nursing and early childhood education were consistently among the top majors over the past five years at North Shore Community College as well. The others were Liberal Arts, Health Sciences, Business Administration and Criminal Justice, according to Provost Jennifer Mezquita.

“It is important to note that we are seeing an increased interest in our STEM programs such as Engineering and Computer Science,” she added.

Mezquita said these concentrations “represent the perennial gateways to various aspirations for our students.”

“We have a large population of students who are interested in earning their bachelor’s degree so they naturally major in our liberal arts to support their goal of transferring to a 4-year institution,” she wrote in an email. “Historically, community colleges have supported all learners as either a stepping stone to earning a bachelor’s degree, or as the catalyst for earning a short-term credential to support their goal of going into a field where they can earn a living wage.”

Mezquita said the college is in the process of launching an assessment program that will show regional workforce needs to help inform and align those needs with the courses the college offers.

“Our goal is to ensure our students are earning a credential that will support their educational, financial, and employment goals,” she noted.

Northern Essex Community College sees a similar story.

Melissa Bouse, director of public relations, said the top majors for current students are Liberal Arts, Business

Transfer, and General Studies: Health Specialization, which gives students a variety of options in healthcare after graduating with an associate degree. Students can find jobs in radiology, sleep technician, medical or dental assisting, medical billing or coding.

“These careers pay well and are in high-demand,” Bouse said. “It also transfers easily to bachelor’s degree programs.”

“It’s not uncommon for our students to come to NECC unsure of what they want to pursue. These majors give them a great basis for a wide area of study,” she said.

Over the next decade, they expect these popular concentrations to continue to be their largest majors, and say their graduates will be ready to fill the needs of the evolving North Shore business community.

“Healthcare in particular will always be in demand, as our local populations age,” Bouse said. “The Bureau of Labor and Statistics predicts a 13 percent job growth rate in healthcare fields in the next 10 years.”

Giambusso, of Salem State, also pointed to statistics from the North

Shore Workforce Board that show financial services and health care are among the areas that stand out as critical drivers of labor market demand.

“There is a teacher shortage in Massachusetts, and our McKeown School of Education recently received an historic $10 million gift to support programs and initiatives aimed at diversifying, strengthening, and sustaining the next generation of educators. The gift represents the largest cash contribution ever made in the history of the nine Massachusetts state universities,” she said.

Salem State is also preparing for a major capital needs project that will upgrade and expand science and healthcare simulation labs that will prepare students for the environment they will work in after graduation.

“As in-demand fields grow, we expect to see continued interest in these areas among students. We are focusing significant efforts on ensuring that students interested in entering these and other fields can afford to attend Salem State and have access to internships and field placements that will allow them to succeed in these and other growing fields,” Giambusso added. I