Act III: Cincinnati State: Re-educating Adults STAND-UP: IT’S ONE THING TO EDUCATE YOUNGSTERS. IT’S
ANOTHER THING TO RE-EDUCATE ADULTS, ESPECIALLY AFTER A TRAUMATIC LAYOFF OR THE SUDDEN DEATH OF A LIFETIME JOB. BUT THE UNEXPECTED JOLT OF A CAREER SHIFT HAS BECOME THE NORM IN THE TURBULENT NEW AMERICAN ECONOMY. AND
SO MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN THEIR 30s, 40s, AND 50s ARE GOING BACK TO SCHOOL. ALL TOO OFTEN, HOWEVER, RETRAINING PROGRAMS OFFER THEM AN UPDATE IN NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND AN UPGRADE IN THEIR SKILLS, BUT THEN HAVE TROUBLE
PLACING THEIR GRADUATES IN GOOD JOBS. ONE BRILLIANT EXCEPTION IS THIS COLLEGE, CINCINNATI STATE TECHNICAL AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE. CLOSE LINKS TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY HERE IN CINCINNATI, HAVE BEEN THE KEY TO THIS
COLLEGE’S REMARKABLE SUCCESS IN GETTING STRUGGLING ADULTS BACK ON THEIR FEET AND INTO THE NEW ECONOMY. NARRATION: THE ARNOFF CENTER FOR THE ARTS IN DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI IS FILLED TO THE RAFTERS ON THIS SUNDAY
AFTERNOON WITH THE PROUD FAMILIES WHO STOOD BY MOTHERS, SONS, HUSBANDS AND WIVES THROUGH TWO INTENSE YEARS OF STUDY. THEY HAVE REASON TO CELEBRATE. OF THE 700 GRADUATES RECEIVING THEIR ASSOCIATE DEGREES THIS YEAR
FROM CINCINNATI STATE, 98% WILL GET SOLID JOBS. THIS INCLUDES MANY WHOSE OLD JOBS SIMPLY VANISHED IN THE ECONOMIC TORNADO THAT SWEPT AMERICA IN THE 80s AND 90S. PEOPLE LIKE DEB STILES. DEB STILES: They were downsizing, at that time, there was a lot of corporate takeovers. And, so every time they--a person would leave or they'd downsize a job, then they'd say, but we're making your job
stronger, and the company will get stronger because of that....So what really happened though was, um, eventually they just sold us. It wasn't a corporate takeover, they just sold us out. And then we all lost our jobs.
NARRATION: PENNY DEATON WAS STUCK IN A JOB THAT PAID HER ONLY A HUNDRED DOLLARS A WEEK. PENNY DEATON: I used to be a hairdresser. I
worked in a salon.I didn't have any medical benefits. I didn't have any vacation time. I didn't have any sick time. ...when I did hair, I got paid. When I didn't do hair, I didn't get paid. And it was a very--it was
a struggle. NARRATION: MICHAEL WHEATLEY’S JOB OF 17 YEARS WAS WIPED OUT WHEN HIS EMPLOYER WENT BANKRUPT. MICHAEL WHEATLEY: There was a
moment...I found myself home alone, sitting on my floor, sobbing. And I didn't have a clue as far as what I was going to do in the future.My self esteem was gone. No confidence. And at that moment, I really thought
that my life was over. NARRATION: IN AMERICA TODAY, RECONNECTING WITH THE ECONOMY MEANS REBUILDING A LIFE. TELEPHONE OPERATOR:
Cincinnati State. May I direct your call? NARRATION: FOR MILLIONS OF AMERICANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THOSE FIRST STEPS UP FROM DESPAIR ARE TAKEN AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES. BUT THEY
DON’T COME EASILY -- ESPECIALLY FOR AGING BABY BOOMERS WHO HAVEN’T CRACKED A TEXTBOOK IN DECADES. MICHAEL WHEATLEY: The day that I walked into school, I was scared to death... I
wasn’t sure I could do it academically. DEB STILES: I had to take this test on math and I thought, oh, my gosh, I was a nervous wreck, because I knew I hadn't used any of that forever... and they said, don't worry if
you don't do well. Don't stress out about this, because you won't flunk and we won't accept you. All that happens is that we'll put you in a remedial class, developmental class they called it, developmental. And I
thought, I'm going to take this first, because if I can pass this, I can probably do about anything, because that was my biggest fear was that math class. ...And the teacher was wonderful.
LINDA KNEPP: Your slope is a ratio... NARRATION: TEACHING THESE ADULT STUDENTS TAKES DEDICATION BEYOND THE NORM IN ACADEME. MATH TEACHER LINDA KNEPP. LINDA KNEPP: Sometimes I feel like a cheerleader, I feel like a counselor, I feel like their friend, because you have to be all of
those.LINDA KNEPP: You’re homework tonight will be... LINDA KNEPP: They're scared...they know that this is possibly their last shot... and they need to know where they can go for help.... DEB STILES: And so she
cared so much ...and she kept saying: no, you can do this. ...and from then on, I've just done real well. That was my big steppingstone was the math. [LAUGHS] NARRATION: THE KEY
TO CINCINNATI STATE’S SUCCESS IS BLENDING CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENTS WITH ENTRY LEVEL CO-OP JOBS IN LOCAL BUSINESSES. STUDENTS ALTERNATE 10 WEEKS IN CLASS WITH 10 WEEKS ON THE JOB. NOT A NEW IDEA, BUT CINCINNATI STATE DOES
CO-OPS BETTER THAN ANYWHERE ELSE. DURING TWO YEARS AT CINCINNATI STATE, MICHAEL WHEATLEY GOT ONE FULL YEAR OF WORK EXPERIENCE IN ACCOUNTING. MICHAEL WHEATLEY: ...when you sit in
the classroom...and they talk about...how to prepare a financial statement ... Those things are fine. You need to learn those in a classroom setting.But until you walk into the work force, and you see how those
things are put into practice, I don't think you fully grasp what you're learning in the classroom. NARRATION: THE CO-OP PROGRAM HELPED DEB STILES GET OVER THE PSYCHOLOGICAL
HURDLE OF SHIFTING CAREERS. DEB STILES: Fettucini’s up!DEB STILES: Changing in your mind what you are is really tough. It's not like one day you can just go in and say, okay,
I'm now a cook, so you should hire me. It's very scary. Because in your mind you're thinking, but I'm really an office worker. [LAUGHS] I'm just pretending to be a cook. But with the co-op program they--they force you
to get a job. You have to face it. And you have to go out and perform and that's the only way you're going--you're going to learn this, is to go out and do it. NARRATION: THE
CO-OP PROGRAM IS A PARTNERSHIP THAT SIMPLY COULD NOT FUNCTION WITHOUT 600 LOCAL BUSINESSES ABSORBING MORE THAN 2,000 CINCINNATI STATE CO-OP STUDENTS EVERY YEAR. BUSINESSES LIKE GE -- READY TO HELP A PENNY DEATON JUMP
FROM CUTTING HAIR TO TESTING JET ENGINE COMPONENTS. HEDRICK SMITH: Tell me...What was your first reaction when you saw Penny Deaton walk through the door? BOB HILLERY: Well,
I--I did wonder a little bit, I must admit, as to whether this young lady was--was really looking for a technician job in a--in a sort of hands on, dirty fingernails environment or whether she'd--she really should be
staying where she was I think in--in--sort of in the hair dressing world. ...However, I was obviously wrong in that first impression.BOB HILLERY: ...she came through and on her first assignment, which happened to be
in my area, she--she worked extremely well and got her fingernails more than dirty, I’m sure cracked. ...it's a pretty high technology exposure for someone who's in effect, still going to school. NARRATION: PENNY DEATON WAS ALSO JUGGLING A HOME, A HUSBAND AND TWO SMALL CHILDREN. PENNY DEATON: ...I wanted to be 100 percent mom, 100 percent student, 100 percent
wife, 100 percent professional person. ...And that's not possible.... NARRATION: MARTHA BROSZ, PENNY’S DEPARTMENTAL ADVISOR, HELPED PENNY GET HER BEARINGS. PENNY DEATON: From the get-go she has been my biggest support person, to get me going in this direction. ...She has laid out my classes. She has told me what to do, what not to do. MARTHA BROSZ: .... she
was so enthused about her classwork and so -uh--willing to persevere--didn't want to give up--that, you know, when you have a student like that, you want to share everything you can. You don't want to lose them and
you're willing to do anything you can to -- to hang on to them. PENNY DEATON: I got pregnant during my first organic chemistry class and Martha was my teacher. I was ready to deliver and I was going to deliver into
the first week of the term and Martha told me that she would call me on the phone at the hospital and--and lecture me on the phone to keep me up with what the class was doing so I didn't have to worry about giving up my
class. ...I mean, that was really someone going out of their way because they cared about me graduating and getting the degree and the career. MARTHA BROSZ: She went out to GE, they absolutely loved her. She finally
realized that, yeah, I guess I'm pretty good. I can do this....it just kind of changed her... She became a professional...and from there on, I think she's just blossomed. PENNY DEATON: Is the luna scale still intact
around the specimen...? TECHNICIAN: Yes, it seems to be. PENNY DEATON: The spall with the coating? TECHNICIAN: Yes. PENNY DEATON: Everything that I did at school prepared me for what I'm doing here. ...And the
great part about it is you're able to take what you learned at work, go back to school and say, okay, how do I want to gear my education now. What would I like to learn before I go back to work the next time that will
help me. BUSINESSMAN: From industry’s standpoint... NARRATION: CO-OP IS NOT JUST STUDENTS ENTERING THE WORKPLACE, BUT THE BUSINESSES ENTERING THE SCHOOLHOUSE. RAY DIPILLA: We’re going to need your help as
employers, as folks from business and industry to work with us. NARRATION: IT’S CINCINNATI STATE INVITING LOCAL INDUSTRY TO SCORES OF ADVISORY MEETINGS, TO SPELL OUT JUST WHAT
KIND OF WORKERS THEY NEED. IN RESPONSE TO ADVICE FROM BUSINESSES, THE COLLEGE DROPS OBSOLETE COURSES AND CREATES NEW ONES. ITS STUDENTS GET THE KNOWLEDGE THEY NEED AND BUSINESS GETS A STEADY FLOW OF WORKERS GEARED FOR
TOMORROW’S MARKETPLACE.THE ACADEMIC CONVEYOR BELT TO INDUSTRY MAY TROUBLE SOME PEOPLE, BUT MARK WALTON, CHAIR OF CINCINNATI STATE’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES, MAKES NO APOLOGIES.
MARK WALTON: We make sure that we're providing the kinds of programs that will insure that our students get jobs. It's just that simple. HEDRICK SMITH: (reversal): Would you move
on a new program without checking with the business community? MARK WALTON: Absolutely not. ... If we’re [pause] putting a program together that they don’t need, it just doesn’t
make sense for us. So we don’t do it.DEB STILES: We’re going to have the raisins. Are we using raisins? NARRATION: THIS INSIDE ENTREE TO EXPANDING CAREER FIELDS IS WHAT
ATTRACTS JOB-ORIENTED STUDENTS LIKE DEB STILES. JOHN KINSELLA: Six oranges should do it. NARRATION: HAVING SURVIVED MATH, DEB STILES HAD
TO SURVIVE MASTER CHEF JOHN KINSELLA. DEB STILES: Ordering mushroom, shrimp.JOHN KINSELLA: I called a mushroom. We have to respond here. You understand that? NARRATION: LIKE A DRILL SERGEANT, KINSELLA PUTS HIS STUDENTS THROUGH REAL-LIFE WORK PRESSURES...AS THEY PREPARE RESTAURANT MEALS FOR PAYING CUSTOMERS.
JOHN KINSELLA: ...I demand excellence. JOHN KINSELLA: Even. Let’t try and keep it even. FEMALE STUDENT: I’m trying. JOHN KINSELLA: I demand from my students a hundred percent for all the time they're with me.
JOHN KINSELLA: Just let the knife rock on the board, you see. See my fingers? There goes a finger. HEDRICK SMITH: What about Chef Kinsella. Did he intimidate you? DEB STILES: Yes, especially when he’s having a bad day, and then he starts just yelling and you don’t even have to screw up, you just have to be there in the wrong place and then he’s yelling.JOHN
KINSELLA: One student said to me one time--came back and he said, chef, I hated your guts when you were here, but thank you. And I--and that meant a lot to me. That means a lot more to me than anything else.
HEDRICK SMITH: Is this a growth industry? JOHN KINSELLA: We estimate there’ll be 48,000 chef jobs available that won't be filled every year for
the next 15 to 20 years. Uh, good trained technicians, good first cooks, sous chefs, eh terrific demand, a terrific demand. And the industry is willing to pay good dollars now to highly skilled people. HEDRICK SMITH: ... These students are not just going to get a degree in cooking? JOHN KINSELLA: No. They're going to get a degree in the applied
business. HEDRICK SMITH: Applied business? JOHN KINSELLA: Yeah, with a major in chef technology. That means they have the management
skills to run a business. And that’s... HEDRICK SMITH: ...accounting? JOHN KINSELLA: Yeah, accounting. HEDRICK SMITH: Math? JOHN KINSELLA: Economics. HEDRICK SMITH: Management? What else?
JOHN KINSELLA: Economics, business classes, cost controls, financial analysis. Because 80 percent of the restaurants that fail today are because the chefs and the managers don't have good formal business training.
HEDRICK SMITH: Were you a little bit blown away by all the requirements for math and accounting and management? DEB STILES: No, that's
why I wanted to come here, because this is transferable. There are cooking schools that you just go and--and stay there for a year, but you end up with a certificate. And that's all you have is a certificate I
wanted--if I wanted to do it I wanted a degree that was transferable just in case I wanted to continue on...MARTHA BROSZ: What do we statistically call the average? NARRATION:
THIS COMBINATION -- STRONG ACADEMICS AND ON-THE-JOB EXPERIENCE, AN ECHO OF SHANGHAI --IS WHAT PRODUCES CINCINNATI’S STUNNING 98 PERCENT JOB PLACEMENT RECORD. DEB STILES: Being a
cook, I think I can go anywhere. I've called people on the phone and and just talked to them and they're like, oh, when can you start.ANNOUNCER: Deborah A. Stiles. Summa Cum Laude. HEDRICK SMITH: How is it going to feel walking across that stage and picking up that degree? DEB STILES: It's going to be great, because I get to wear an honors
sash [LAUGHS]. HEDRICK SMITH: Now, why do you laugh when you say honors sash? DEB STILES: Just because I have always seen those
kids--when I was in school, you know, you always had those kids and you always say oh they’re so smart. ...But, you know, it's not that they're that smart, it's just that they applied themselves. And I think it just
took me this long to realize that that's the whole trick.ANNOUNCER: Michael William Wheatley. Summa Cum Laude. MICHAEL WHEATLEY: ..there was a serious moment where I just felt, contemplated killing myself, over
losing my job. Which, now I look at as being so ridiculous, and the thought of it just makes me sick. ...But there was a point where I just felt so empty inside, nothing left. ...But yet, I chose to go back to school,
and I put everything I can into this experience to get to this moment, the day I graduate. STANDUP: FROM SHANGHAI TO CINCINNATI STATE, CERTAIN COMMON THEMES RESONATE. HIGH
EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL STUDENTS, WHETHER JUST OUT OF A JOB OR OUT OF A POOR HOME. DEMANDING ACADEMICS, AS WELL AS TECHNICAL SKILLS LINKED TO THE MARKETPLACE. ENOUGH LATITUDE FOR TEACHERS TO INNOVATE AND TO PACE THEIR
CLASSES TO THEIR STUDENTS. AND CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS ....DEEPLY CARING TEACHERS AND CLOSE COLLABORATION BETWEEN PARENTS AND TEACHERS AND BETWEEN BUSINESS AND EDUCATION. THOSE ARE THE PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE EDUCATION FOR
TOMORROW...AND WHAT’S IMPRESSIVE IS THAT DESPITE CRITICISM THAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS DON’T WORK, THE SUCCESSES WE SAW ALL CAME FROM PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. [Back to top] |
