Accreditation - Hartnell College!!

Institutional Self Evaluation – 12-05-12
Conclusions from local business and employers surveyed include the following:
Over 60% of employers said that their current and future workforce need these
skills:
o Communication/customer relations
o Computer applications/software usage
o Bilingual ability
o Basic skills proficiencies
o English competency
o Office and clerical skills
For business leaders and residents, professions in health care will be in high
demand, as will computer and technology based jobs, and those involved in
agriculture and environmental stability.
INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSE TO RESEARCH FINDINGS
Hartnell has responded to these challenges by revising existing programs and developing new
educational programs. Conclusions of the Salinas Valley Vision 2020 Project were
instrumental in identifying and prioritizing what new programs to implement and what
current programs to expand. Some of the key skill sets that employers identified as important
for employees were ones for which Hartnell had already created educational programs and
student services. Since the publication of the 2020 Project report, Hartnell has revised and
developed new offerings in agriculture, business, computer science and information systems,
sustainable construction, early childhood education, nursing and health sciences and has
opened the Alisal Center for Applied Technology. Currently, approximately half of associate
degree programs offered by Hartnell College are related to career, technical and occupational
education. (IIA.2)
To address specific concerns related to basic skills, a task force of the Basic Skills Initiative
Committee was established in spring 2010 to research and draft a comprehensive blueprint
describing the flow of students from assessment and placement through various pathways
and course sequences, including the integration of student support services. The task force
based their work upon the 26 effective practices discussed in the comprehensive research
report, Basic Skills as a Foundation for Student Success in California Community Colleges,
as well as faculty and staff interviews, comparisons of local and statewide data, and
information collected through conference attendance. Using these standards, the task force
examined Hartnell‘s current organizational practices, program components, staff
development, and instructional practices. This effort resulted in recommendations that focus
on better alignment and improvement of Hartnell College‘s admission processes,
instructional pathways, and student support services and follow up. This research has been
shared with the management team, faculty, staff, the Academic Senate, and counselors.
(IIA.12)
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