Coalition for the Common Good expands workforce partnerships

The Coalition for the Common Good is widening its employer-focused higher education model as it enters its fourth year, with more than 20 partner organizations now offering flexible training, credentials, and degree pathways. The expansion is aimed at helping employers retain talent while giving working adults education options that fit around their jobs.

Why it matters: - The Coalition for the Common Good is using higher education as a workforce tool, giving employers and membership groups a way to build skills without pulling employees away from work. - The model is designed to help organizations attract, develop, and retain talent while expanding access to career-relevant education for working adults. - The Coalition is now serving partners coast-to-coast, signaling broader demand for flexible degree and training pathways.

What happened: - The Coalition for the Common Good expanded its national workforce-development model as it began its fourth year. - More than 20 healthcare, education, nonprofit, military, and industry partners have joined the CCG model. - The Coalition is offering education through employers and membership organizations at work, online, and in flexible hybrid formats. - John Comerford, president of the CCG, said partners can expect flexible, accessible, innovative educational opportunities, along with tuition discounts for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs.

The details: - Partner organizations can offer customized training, seminars, workshops, stackable credentials, credit-bearing certificates, and tuition benefits for members, employees, and their families. - Programs can be delivered on-site, on campus, online, or in hybrid formats tailored to each organization’s workforce needs. - The CCG says the model helps working adults gain education without stepping away from their jobs. - The Coalition also says the partnerships support its mission of strengthening communities nationwide. - InnoSource worked with the CCG on “InnoSkilling,” a program that combines customized job training with higher-education credit. - Multiple cohorts have completed InnoSkilling, and InnoSource has reported stronger retention among participating employees. - Columbus City Schools is working with the CCG to expand access to school counseling programs, teacher apprenticeship pathways, management and leadership degrees, certifications, and continuing-education opportunities for teachers and administrators. - Michelle Koppitz, associate vice president for strategic initiatives at the CCG, said the Coalition minimizes barriers to higher education by meeting people where they are, especially at work. - Other listed partners include Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals, Behavioral Health Partners of Central Ohio, Blue Star Families, City of Columbus, Columbus Early Learning Center, Educational Service Center of Central Ohio, Infant Massage USA, Kettering Health Network, LA Urban League, Landmark College, Maricopa Community College, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, NEA-New Hampshire, OhioHealth, Premier Health Network, River Valley Community College, Service!/Cafe Overlook, Sinclair College, and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. - The Coalition points readers to current workforce partnerships for more partners. - The Coalition directs general inquiries to partnerships@antioch.edu and ccgedu.org.

Between the lines: - The CCG is positioning higher education as an employer benefit, not just a student recruitment channel. - Tuition discounts and stackable credentials are designed to make the offer more attractive to both workers and organizations competing for talent. - The mix of school districts, hospitals, military institutions, and nonprofits suggests the model is being adapted across sectors rather than built for one industry.

What's next: - The Coalition says additional collaborations are in development. - More partners are expected as the CCG continues to expand its workforce partnerships nationally. - The organization plans to keep scaling flexible pathways that connect degree and non-degree learning with employer needs.

The bottom line: - The Coalition for the Common Good is turning higher education into a retention and recruitment strategy, with flexible programs built around the workplace instead of around the campus calendar.