HARRISBURG, Pa. — There are 15 community colleges educating 230,000 students in Pennsylvania, making them the largest provider of public postsecondary education and workforce training in the state.
On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges brought together students from these schools to rally at the State Capitol for more state investment.
Before the rally, community colleges exhibited interactive training demonstrations in the Main Capitol Rotunda.
These included virtual reality simulations for nursing and public safety training; EMS and first responder equipment; and a flight simulator.
After the demonstrations, students, legislators and organizers gathered on the Main Rotunda steps.
According to the PCCC, community colleges offer the lowest postsecondary tuition in the state and enroll more first generation and low-income students than any other sector of postsecondary education.
They also said that nearly 42% of community college students are from minority communities.
Community colleges also provide workforce training for 87,000 students across the commonwealth and give nearly 4,500 degrees and certificates in healthcar—granting 75% of all associate degrees in nursing.