MCC featured in upcoming PBS documentary

The MCC Institute for Workforce Innovation continues to receive national attention as it will be featured in an upcoming documentary entitled, Change Agents: Community Colleges in the 21st Century, to air on PBS later this year.

Change Agents examines the role of community colleges in a shifting economy and the demands for new services that meet the needs of both students and employers. MCC was one of five colleges from around the country profiled for unique and innovative approaches to challenges such as shifts in student demographics, globalization, developing technologies and workforce demands. The documentary provides a holistic view of the state of community colleges, including interviews with students, faculty and government officials, including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

The focus of the MCC segment is workforce development in manufacturing, highlighting the Institute for Workforce Innovation’s on-going relationship with
 Harley-Davidson and Peterson Manufacturing. I.W.I. assists these and other companies across the region in multiple aspects of training, recruitment and continuing professional education.

Filming was done in August at the MCC-Business & Technology campus. MCC employees interviewed for the film include Debbie Goodall, MCC-BTC president; Margaret Boyd, I.W.I. executive director and interim Health Science Institute executive director; John Littleton, I.W.I. performance consultant manager; and Douglas Young, I.W.I. performance consultant.

The documentary was produced by Juneteenth Productions, a Chicago-based company that specializes in social-issue documentaries and educational media, in collaboration with RC-2020, a nonprofit group made up of community college leaders from around the country. MCC Chancellor Emeritus Jacqueline Snyder serves as RC-2020’s vice president and president-elect.

MCC Media Services has requested permission to air Change Agents on Smart Future TV, MCC’s cable station for distance learning and other programming. Watch for details soon about when the documentary will air on PBS.