As unemployment rises, local colleges are reaping the benefits. There is a trend toward students staying in school to wait out the financial crisis, and now older students are returning to re-train. Local 12's Paula Toti has a look at this new trend.
Fall enrollment is up 2.7% at all three University of Cincinnati campuses. Because this is a school in an urban setting, officials believe they're benefiting because students can come here and get part time jobs in the area, and it costs less than many private universities.
And when you look at Cincinnati State and Northern Kentucky University, enrollment is off the charts. Applications for fall are up 36 percent at NKU. They'll have to turn people away for the first time. Until they're enrolled, it's too soon to say if there's an increase in older students. But at Cincinnati State, where enrollment this summer is up 32 percent over last summer, they know the average age has increased with people wanting to retrain.
"The painting business dried up, and I found myself lacking in work and more time than I needed." George Swegles has always been entrepreneurial and willing to try new things, so he thinks he can start a new business in the renewable energy field. It's one of the busier areas on campus, along with landscape horticulture.
"In landscaping, one of the nice things in our industry, you can be outsourced to another country, it has to be on campus or in town."
The majority of students here are 30-39, but the average age is 29. Usually in the summer, most of the students are continuing students. This year, almost 32 percent are first timers, many looking for degrees and jobs. "Several have come from manufacturing, a couple computer jobs in the past. Their jobs no longer needed, so going with something they enjoy."
George says retraining isn't easy. In his case, there's more trigonometry then he'd like. "But if you're 30, you have plenty of time. I'm 55, and I'm doing it."
At UC, student enrollment is up by 800 students this summer. That's very unusual. For the past five years, it's been flat during the summer. They believe this is due to the economy, with a big increase in both freshman students and older students coming back to retool.
The University of Cincinnati tells us it's Clermont campus is especially benefiting from students coming back to school to retrain. Classes for careers in the medical field are among the most popular.
