People have long struggled to figure out how to turn their interests in humanities into good-paying jobs.  

Lorain County Community College  is addressing the question with a new pilot program. The goal of the ‘’Humanities to Career” initiative is to connect students majoring in arts, communication and English with more of the hands-on experiences at the center of many community college offerings. 

The issue is critically important, the college says.  About 41% of its current students are enrolled in an associate of the arts program where humanities programs such as English, communications and arts reside. The number has remained relatively unchanged from five years ago.  

Brenda Pongracz, LCCC’s dean of the arts and humanities, points out that many of the skills humanities majors learn – think things such as being able to write well, think critically, and synthesize information – are vital in the workforce. 

“If you have a passion for these humanities fields, that doesn’t mean you’re not getting job training. It just means you might have to do a little more work to connect the dots between what you’re learning in the classroom and what you can do on the job,” she said. “And we’re going to help you do that.”  

LCCC pilot participants better connect with internships, career services

There are no specific academic qualifications students need to hit. But they must be willing to participate in various group activities as well as take on a paid internship. 

This summer, students interned with places such as the Lorain County Metroparks and the non-profit Main Street Wellington.

Much of those interns’ tasks are related to marketing, researching and writing. Every industry needs those skills – including, Pongracz said, some of the biggest employers in Northeast Ohio. 

“Within IT, healthcare and manufacturing, you need PR [public relations] and marketing, you need communication, you need graphic design,” she said. 

Students also join a learning community where they gather with others participating in the pilot. They also have direct access to the college’s career services department to help them with resumes or applications to transfer to a four-year college for a bachelor’s degree. 

In addition to classwork, students also work to earn an industry-recognized credential, such as a project marketing certificate or a graphic design credentia  as part of the program.

LCCC officials want participants to figure out how to ultimately translate what they learn to skills, knowledge and abilities they can easily explain to future employers or four-year professors. 

“For us, it’s not just about access and completion, but it’s also about post-secondary success,” said college provost Denise Douglas.  

LCCC one of three community colleges nationwide taking part in program

The Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Foundation funds this program. Foundation leaders partnered with the nonprofit group Jobs for the Future to study challenges faced by humanities majors at two-year institutions. 

Together, they found a “large percentage of community college students pursue or default to HLA [humanities and language arts] degrees, most commonly in preparation for transfer to four-year programs, and without a clear career plan in place,” according to a news release. 

Students who graduate with a two-year associate’s degree “without explicit career preparation” get “little additional labor market value when compared with a high school diploma,” officials added.  

LCCC will receive $900,000 over three years to fund this push. So, too, will Boston’s Bunker Hill Community College and Northern Virginia Community College outside of Washington, D.C 

“The humanities and liberal arts are not just nice to have, they are essential to preparing community college students to be part of a workforce that demands they learn and adapt throughout their careers,” Bunker Hill President Pam Eddinger said in a release.

How to enroll at LCCC’s pilot program

LCCC’s goal is to have 60 students participating this fall – double the number who participated last spring. The college is still accepting applications for the upcoming semester. 

Find out more by visiting this page on the college’s website and filling out the interest form at the bottom. 

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