Johnson County Community College
Press Release

College Information and Publications
913-469-8500
Julie Haas, Director, ext. 3120
Peggy Graham, Writer, ext. 3425
Tyler Cundith, Sports Information Director, ext. 3122

Written 4/27/07
Story by Julie Haas

JCCC career program completers are happy with their work

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Most students who completed career programs at Johnson County Community College in 2004-2005 are working and happy, according to a survey conducted by JCCC’s office of Institutional Research.

The students surveyed had completed career programs at JCCC in 2004-2005, earning either a degree or a certificate. Eight out of 10 of the respondents reported they were employed in a job related to their program of study at JCCC. Sixty-seven percent of respondents working in a related field had not been employed in their current job before attending JCCC.

Most respondents who were employed full-time in a related job said they were satisfied with their work. More than 90 percent rated their working conditions, amount of job responsibility and their job in general as excellent or good.

The students’ employers were also satisfied. Ninety-five percent of employers surveyed rated the overall job preparation of their employees who were educated at JCCC as excellent or good.

The average annual salary reported by respondents employed full-time in a related job was $37,086. Female respondents out-earned males working full-time in related jobs, $34,587 to $33,292.

Approximately 91 percent of the respondents reported they had achieved their original educational objective during their time at JCCC; of those, 91 percent indicated JCCC had helped them achieve that objective.

Approximately 70 percent of survey respondents indicated JCCC was their first choice among colleges to attend and, if starting now, 90 percent would attend JCCC again. Nearly 94 percent indicated they would recommend JCCC to friends, and 83 percent would encourage their own children to attend JCCC.

Although the respondents completed their course of study at the community college, their education isn’t over. More than one in five of the respondents were currently enrolled in classes and, of those, 44 percent were attending JCCC. About 43 percent of the respondents planned to enroll again within the next year and, of those, 45 percent planned to return to JCCC.

Roughly nine out of 10 respondents expressed satisfaction with the helpfulness and individual attention from faculty, the course content, the quality of instruction they received, the facilities and equipment at JCCC, the variety of courses offered, the registration process and the convenience of course scheduling.

Nine out of 10 respondents reported improvement in their critical thinking and problem-solving skills; eight out of 10 said they had enhanced their self-confidence. At least three-fourths reported improvement in their knowledge of the arts and sciences and in their time-management, oral communication and decision-making skills as a result of their community college experiences. In addition, seven out of 10 reported improvement in clarifying their personal values and goals and in their tolerance for others.

Seven percent of the respondents were working in an unrelated job, while 3 percent of the survey respondents were unemployed and looking for work. Six percent were pursuing additional education, and the rest were serving in the military or out of the labor force.

 The surveys are administered by the college’s office of Institutional Research, which conducts follow-up studies each year of students who completed a JCCC career program during the previous academic year and of their employers. Last winter, 385 former students and 109 employers completed surveys.

Results of these studies provide valuable insight into the effectiveness of the college’s career programs and assist administrators and faculty in planning to meet the needs of future students and of business and industry.“These findings clearly show that JCCC’s career programs continue to provide outstanding educational and training opportunities that meet the needs of both Johnson County students and metropolitan area employers,” said Ryan Beckland, market and survey research analyst, Institutional Research, JCCC.

 Survey results are available from JCCC’s office of Institutional Research.

# # #