A decade or so ago, companies would come to community college leaders and demand certain types of employees trained within a certain timeframe. 

“It’s now ‘How can I help you develop these programs?’” said Carlos Margo, dean of South Texas College’s Center for Advanced Training and Apprenticeships. 

That intentional collaboration is a shift that better serves everyone, panelists said in a conversation hosted by Open Campus yesterday. Panelists said that the goal isn’t just enrollment or completion, but creating clear routes into good jobs that meet student needs and employer demands.

📚 Read more: San Antonio College combines 2- and 4-year nursing degrees to help meet demand (via our partner San Antonio Report) 

📚 Read more: Taking the wheel: TCC students begin internships at Autobahn (via our partner Fort Worth Report) 

Robert D’Antonio, senior maintenance and engineering manager at Toyota Motors Texas, said some of the skills Toyota looks for include strong technical proficiency in areas like welding and machining; aptitude for emerging fields such as AI and app development; and problem-solving skills. 

Robert Garza, president of Palo Alto College, said that when he is looking to industry leaders to help develop programs, he doesn’t look for partners — he looks for friends. The difference is a shared interest in maintaining a long-term relationship versus conducting a one-off transaction. 

“Tell me, really, what is it that you need? And how can we find ways to work together to fulfill that need?” he said. 

📚 Read more: Palo Alto College invests $1M into popular welding program (via our partner San Antonio Report) 

Danya Pérez, our reporter at San Antonio Report, moderated the conversation. You can watch it here. (Passcode: Rb7+0%vG)

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Elsewhere on Open Campus

From Wisconsin: Wisconsin needs more medical professionals, but those with foreign training are facing barriers that keep them from closing that gap, Natalie Yahr, our pathways to success reporter at Wisconsin Watch reported.

Anna Mykhailova and Sasha Druzhyna moved there from Ukraine, where she was a cardiologist and he was an anesthesiologist and perfusionist. Now, they’re having to start over in more ways than one. Mykhailova is working as a sonographer and Druzhyna is studying for a master’s degree in perfusion. (A perfusionist keeps blood pumping during heart transplants and keeps donor organs alive before transplant.)

That’s because “until recently, all foreign-trained physicians seeking to practice medicine in Wisconsin had to pass three licensing board exams — offered only in English — then compete against recent medical school graduates for a three-year residency,” Natalie wrote.

The state has eased those requirements but there are still hurdles. The couple is working hard to assimilate in a new country while also being forced to reset their careers.

“I feel like a homeless person. I feel like Ukraine is not my home anymore, and the United States is not my home yet,” Mykhailova said. 

From Puerto Rico: Trans and nonbinary students at the University of Puerto Rico say they feel unsafe now that the university has rolled back protections such as gender-inclusive bathrooms, Víctor Rodríguez Velázquez, our reporter at Centro de Periodismo Investigativo reported.

Other changes include ending a requirement to train professors on the rights of trans people and the option for transgender students to choose on-campus housing in accordance with their gender identity.

The shifts come as the Trump administration has taken aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Faculty members have argued the university complied without any real threat of losing funds.

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