WICHITA, Kansas (KWCH) – Many college campuses in Kansas are bustling with activity as the fall semester begins, and enrollment numbers are rising.

It’s not just the traditional degrees that attract all these students. There are also professional certifications designed to teach skills that meet the needs of specific in-demand industries.

This can be seen at WSU Tech.

“We’re seeing increases across the board this fall. I think it shows that employers value these skills and students recognize the value of earning the certifications that go with them,” said Dr. Jennifer Seymour, vice president of general education and skilled trades at WSU Tech.

These professional certifications are industry-specific. WSU Tech offers programs in areas such as aviation, healthcare and IT that may or may not count toward a degree program.

Dr Seymour said it was about demonstrating to students that they have the skills listed on their CV or are expanding their knowledge to meet changing needs.

The programs are tailored to the needs of the industry and also include retraining and further training of the workforce.

Dr Seymour said: “They are all driven by industry demand. I like to say that we don’t exist if we don’t have employers who will hire our students. They won’t hire our students if they aren’t happy with the product we make. We rely on their expertise. We rely on them to tell us what they need and what changes; nothing stays static.”

This fall semester WSU Tech expands its partnership with SkillStormthat offers professional certifications for careers in the technology industry. WSU Tech’s two-year IT curriculum will integrate SkillStorm’s certification training, also for credit. Kansas’ technology sector projects 25 percent growth through 2026.

“It’s on demand. Students can join whenever they’re ready,” Dr. Seymour said.

These certificate or industry-specific programs are becoming increasingly common on Kansas campuses.

This is one of the reasons some community colleges cite for their jump in enrollment this year.

The president of Seward County Community College told 12News earlier this month, “Our demand for non-credit courses has increased significantly. We provide a lot of specialized training locally for various companies in the region and the state. I think our mission has changed a bit since 2016.”

Dr Seymour said helping employers achieve this could be beneficial for both the business and the employee.

She said: “We also see employers coming to us looking to upgrade or retrain the skills of their current workforce, rather than starting from scratch, which takes a lot of time and effort. You have a promising employee. What can you do to give them additional skills to help them be more successful, make more money and hopefully stay with your company?”

This trend can be seen in national data. National Student Clearinghousewhich tracks bachelor’s degree completion reported that there was a more than six percent increase in certificates earned in the 2022-23 school year. That’s an increase from the previous year and the number of certificates earned is the highest in the 10 years for which data was provided.

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