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Truman College to Become 'Hub' for Training Future Teachers and Caregivers

 Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Ave., is the latest City Colleges of Chicago campus to adopt the Colleges to Careers program.
Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Ave., is the latest City Colleges of Chicago campus to adopt the Colleges to Careers program.
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Public Building Commission

UPTOWN — Harry S. Truman College has become the seventh City Colleges of Chicago campus to implement the College to Careers program, and will serve as the program's hub for education, and human and natural sciences.

The College to Careers program aims to position students to land jobs in growing fields and attempts to address the "skills gap" — a term illustrated by the struggle some employers report when seeking employees with the right skills to fill jobs.

“This greater focus by the City Colleges of Chicago will assist the city in developing a pipeline of future teachers and other education professionals, particularly for in-demand specializations like math or language education,” Truman College President Reagan Romali said in a statement.

Starting in fall 2015, Truman will offer advanced coursework aimed at students who intend to seek a bachelor's degree at a four-year university, according to a release. The courses haven't been identified yet but would likely include English, political science, history, physics an biology and will be transferrable toward a bachelor's degree and help quicken students' transition to careers.

The city expects nearly 40,000 job openings in education in the Chicago area through 2023, which includes positions in child development and teaching subjects including foreign languages, special education, math and sciences.

Truman, 1145 W. Wilson Ave., will offer a mix of associate degrees and certifications in those fields "tailored for those first entering the education profession as well as for professionals in need of continuing education," the city release said.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement that the program "will train the next generation of care givers and teachers for our children."

City College Chancellor Cheryl Hyman added that, “whatever a student’s career goal, our programs are built to ensure relevance to the workplace as well to further education."

College to Careers program focuses at the other six city colleges range from healthcare and information technology to advanced manufacturing, entrepreneurship and more.

City Colleges of Chicago, the state's biggest community college system, serves about 115,000 students a year at seven city college institutions. The mayor's office said at least 1,300 students have landed jobs or internships in field's targeted by the program since its launch.

The city noted that earning an associate's degree before transferring to a bachelor's program at a university "can save students up to $40,000 in tuition" as opposed to starting college at a four-year institution.

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