Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) has been recognized by Civic Ventures (CivicVentures.org), a think tank and program incubator helping society achieve the greatest return on experience, as one of 10 community colleges that will lead a major national effort to help prepare boomers for careers in education, health care and social services.

With support from MetLife Foundation, Civic Ventures will give CPCC a $25,000 grant to develop its “From Success to Significance” program, designed to appeal both baby boomers’ pride in their accomplishments and their desire to do more. The training program includes a series of career transition and encore career workshops offered by the CPCC Career Services. It also provides career counseling, personal coaching and job mentoring to guide students through the shift from the corporate to the non-profit sector in healthcare, social services, and education.

The state of North Carolina is now the third most popular retirement destination of all 50 states and has the fifth largest over sixty-five population in the country. In fact, 20% of the population in Mecklenburg County is in the 45-60 year age range. This population will once again reinvent what the next decade of their lives will look like.

With that in mind, Central Piedmont Community College implemented a new program that addresses the needs of the boomer population. The Lifetime Learning Institute provides an innovative opportunity for those midlife boomers who are in transition into new careers, entrepreneurial opportunities, and other life transitions. In addition, course offerings through this program bring together educational offerings and personal interest experiences. The “From Success to Significance” program is part of CPCC’s Lifetime Learning Institute.

“Community colleges are poised to become the primary vehicles that help to unleash the important knowledge and social capital that our communities and employers desperately need,” states Dr. Tony Zeiss, President of CPCC. “This grant will allow our College to provide a training program that takes baby boomers to the next phase in their career and their life.”

Studies show that the public interest sector — the fastest growing sector of our labor market — will face the greatest talent shortages as boomers continue to retire. At the same time, half of Americans in their 50s and 60s reported in a 2005 survey by MetLife Foundation and Civic Ventures that they were interested in jobs that improve their communities but did not believe that finding such employment would be easy.

“For tens of millions of baby boomers, a new phase of life and work is opening up between the end of midlife careers and the beginning of true old age,” said Marc Freedman, founder and CEO of Civic Ventures and author of Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life (PublicAffairs Books, June 2007). “Traditional educational offerings for ‘seniors’ just won’t cut it anymore, particularly for those seeking to make a difference in their communities.”

After a year of implementing its initiative, CPCC will collaborate with Civic Ventures to publicly report on how to prepare boomers for encore careers that benefit society.

“CPCC and the other winners of the Community College Encore Career Grants will lead the way,” said Sibyl Jacobson, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation. “These educational pioneers will make it easier for baby boomers to transition to the purpose-driven jobs, easier for employers to find and hire them, and easier for other educators to meet the career needs of older learners.”

The other participating schools include: Baltimore City Community College (Baltimore, MD); Broward Community College (Ft. Lauderdale, FL); Coastline Community College (Fountain Valley, CA); Collin County Community College (Allen, TX); Gateway Community College (Phoenix, AZ); Owensboro Community and Technical College (Owensboro, KY); Portland Community College (Portland, OR); Virginia Community College System (Richmond, VA); and Washtenaw Community College (Ann Arbor, MI).

About Central Piedmont Community College
Central Piedmont Community College is the largest community college in North Carolina, offering 100 degree and certification programs, customized corporate training, market-focused continuing education, and special interest classes. CPCC is academically, financially and geographically accessible to all citizens of Mecklenburg County. In 2002, the National Alliance of Business named CPCC the Community College of the Year for its response to the workforce and technology needs of local employers and job seekers through innovative educational and training strategies.

About Civic Ventures
Civic Ventures (CivicVentures.org) is a think tank and program incubator, working to help society achieve the greatest return on experience.

About the MetLife Foundation
MetLife Foundation (MetLife.org) was established in 1976 by MetLife to carry on its long-standing tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Grants support education, health, civic and cultural programs, with a focus on addressing shifting U.S. demographics, including the growing number of older adults in America.

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