PUEBLO – More than 2,000 students will graduate this spring with a degree or certificate from Pueblo Community College.
The college has a total of 2,107 graduates among its campuses in Pueblo, Cañon City and Mancos and its sites in Durango and Bayfield. According to the 2020 Colorado Talent Pipeline Report, nearly 89 percent of top-tier jobs in the state now require a credential past high school. These PCC alumni now are poised to fill critical jobs in industries such as health care and manufacturing.
“We’ve made great efforts to fill the jobs pipeline with skilled workers,” said PCC President Patty Erjavec. “We’re doing our part to meet the state’s 2025 education goal.”
In 2017, the Colorado Commission on Higher Education released its strategic plan, Colorado Rises, with a stated objective of increasing the number of Colorado adults ages 25-34 who have a postsecondary certificate or degree to 66 percent by 2025.
Among PCC’s spring graduates, 1,811 earned a degree or certificate in a career and technical education program such as health, manufacturing, welding, computer information systems and automotive service technology. Another 296 students received a transfer degree that will enable them to enroll as a junior at any public four-year school in Colorado.
Thirty-four PCC graduates earned a bachelor’s degree, including the first nine students to complete a Bachelor of Science in nursing. In addition, 36 high school students who took part in PCC’s concurrent enrollment program received an associate degree – and therefore graduated from college before receiving their high school diploma.
Erjavec noted the significance of this year’s graduation in light of many challenges that arose from the pandemic.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our students, instructors and staff,” she said. “The work put in by everyone to make it to this point is extraordinary. Graduation is always the highlight of the year and knowing what we all have dealt with over the past 14 months makes the celebration even more special.”
