In September, the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Detroit Drives Degrees Community College Collaborative (D3C3) hosted a Fall Welcome event at Schoolcraft College. The event celebrated the collaborative – where it has been, where it is, and where it is going – and the Clusters established goals for the upcoming year.
K-12 Alignment Cluster
CivicLab facilitators of the K-12 Cluster, Lilia Tanakeyowma and Kate Mahar, were thrilled to introduce the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) team, including new Cluster facilitator Jeneen Hatoum. In partnership with the Detroit Regional Chamber, she will lead the K-12 Alignment work moving forward. MCAN’s positioning and experience in Michigan will allow D3C3 to take the Cluster’s policy and practice efforts to the next level.
The breakout time during this event provided space for those across the network in similar roles to discuss challenges and aspirations for the work. Following that, teams worked on regional priority strategies, digging into barriers. At future meetings, the regional teams will analyze current realities using various data sources to inform solutions and intended outcomes.
Student Success Cluster
The Student Success Cluster welcomed Saint Clair County Community College to the group, as well as Dr. Jamie Storey from MCAN and Dr. Erica Orians from the Michigan Community College Association (MCCA).
Orians shared the areas of Cluster work that MCCA will support moving forward; the colleges shared successes and limitations within their respective academic advising and mental health work. And as a collaborative, attendees explored common areas for growth over the remainder of the academic year.
The National Institute for Student Success (NISS) presented the current state of D3C3 enrollment and graduation, highlighted areas of progress in the last year, and offered suggestions for development moving ahead. The session closed with a preview of upcoming topics for discussion, including individual conversations about adult learners and mental health supports.
Mobility Cluster
The Mobility Cluster had a productive breakout session during the Fall Welcome event. It hosted an Employer-Led Collaborative meeting focused on service technicians” knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA). Employers from Pure Honda and Ford Sellars joined the conversation to provide insight on the presented KSAs.
The goal of this Employer-Led Collaborative is to provide community colleges with the information they need to ensure that students pursuing a career as a service technician have the proper training employers are looking for.