Brandon Frere Investigates If Community Colleges Are the Future of Our Workforce

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Jul 13, 2018, 08:00 ET

PETALUMA, Calif., July 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Community colleges have a lot to offer businesses across America who are looking for employees with cutting-edge skills. This goes against public opinion, which generally considers junior colleges as a means to an end. However, tech titans are taking note of community college students, especially those who are gaining associate degrees in technology. The Wall Street Journal explained that these companies are looking for workers to fill jobs in "cybersecurity, cloud computing, computer programming, data science, tech support and skilled manufacturing." Brandon Frere, industry disruptor and CEO of Frere Enterprises, is inspired by the changing attitude toward community college students and how they could benefit the tech industry.

"College graduates are entering the workforce with an average of $40,000 of student loan debt. Why is it that many bachelor degree holders make less than those who have technical associate degrees?" asked Frere. "It seems like junior colleges have something that bachelor degree programs might not offer. For example, students have more opportunities to gain specialized skills in technology at community colleges. Companies can take advantage of these 'technical workers' by offering them internships to help fill the skills gap."

These internships are very important in helping associate degree students get the job skills they need for their technical careers. In fact, some positions and training programs turn into full-time jobs with the company they interned with. For example, several tech companies, ranging from social media to financial or computer, have started to bring on young grads in apprenticeships before they have the skills needed for their potential careers.

"The typical new graduate has four years of computer science and related internships," Madelyn Tavarez explains. Tavarez was brought on to a tech giant's apprentice program and now works there full-time. "I felt so behind in the beginning – everybody's brilliant. I just had to give myself time. I wasn't used to being one of the people who didn't know everything."

Another reason community colleges are important to American businesses and the education system directly relates to diversity. As a former dean of a prestigious university noted, there are more veteran, Black and Hispanic students enrolled at community colleges. If four-year colleges want their schools to be more representative of diverse backgrounds, the dean urged them to look to junior colleges. He also discussed the importance of making the transfer process from a two-year to four-year degree program smoother, with several recommendations on how to do this, including offering financial aid counseling specifically for community college students transferring to four-year universities.

"I am an example of the potential of community colleges," added Frere. "I attended Santa Rosa Junior College and have since found great success in my many company ventures."

About Frere Enterprises

Brandon Frere is an entrepreneur and businessman who lives in Sonoma County, California. He has designed and created multiple companies to meet the ever-demanding needs of businesses and consumers alike. His company website, www.FrereEnterprises.com, is used as a means to communicate many of the lessons, fundamentals and information he has learned throughout his extensive business and personal endeavors, most recently in advocating on behalf of student loan borrowers nationwide.

As experienced during his own student loan repayment, Mr. Frere found out how difficult it can be to work with federally contracted student loan servicers and the repayment programs designed to help borrowers. Through those efforts, he gained an insider's look into the repayment process and the motivations behind the inflating student loan debt bubble. His knowledge of the confusing landscape of student loan repayment became a vital theme in his future endeavors, and he now uses those experiences to help guide others through the daunting process of applying for available federal repayment and loan forgiveness programs.

FrereEnterprises.com

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