WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |Community college enrollment linked to economy

Community college enrollment linked to economy

By Caroline Moses - bio | email

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - These days it seems more and more people are opting for community college.  They say it has a lot to do with the current state of the economy.   This year Baton Rouge Community College has their highest enrollment they've ever had. 

Student after student says they've come to Baton Rouge Community College to secure a better spot in the workforce.

"Hopefully I'll get to stick in my hometown and be on my way," said one student.

"Hopefully it helps and pays off," said another student.

"I'm just hoping to get a job in the nursing field," said student Denise Barnes.

Hope is about all these students seem to have in their pockets.  Their fountain of funds is running dry.

"We're in a recession right now. It's really hard to get a job with no education, so that's pretty much my main focus right now" said Barnes.

Denise Barnes decided to come back to school after spending several years in the workforce unsatisfied.  She says the pay was low and the opportunities were limited.  Amidst an unstable economy, it seemed like the perfect time to return to an affordable school like BRCC.  She's in good company.

Here's a look at how the enrollment numbers have grown. In 2004, BRCC had 5,700 students enrolled. Now they have 8,104 - an increase of more than two-thousand students.

"The tuition is definitely a big factor," said a student.

In the past, you had the sidewalk on campus to yourself, but now with enrollment numbers at a record high, you'll likely be sharing the pavement.

"The way the economy is right now you need a degree just to get a good job and all that," said new BRCC student Rosean Williams.

Rosean Williams says community college is a cheaper way toward the same goal: a degree and job security.

"I decided to come here to get my first two years of basic english and math, then probably transfer to a bigger university," said Williams.

Williams eventually wants a job in information technology.  His increasingly popular way of getting there saves in a struggling economy.

School officials say they expect BRCC enrollment numbers to continue to grow at a fairly rapid rate the next few years.

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