Photo: Finetooth / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Oregon Coast Community College serves Lincoln County from its main campus in Newport, with centers in Lincoln City and Waldport. For local employers, it is one of the main ways to train workers without sending them out of the area.
Programs tied to local jobs
The college’s nursing program feeds the county’s hospitals and clinics. Its aquarium science program, one of the few of its kind in the country, trains technicians for public aquariums and research facilities. Other programs and short courses cover business, trades and transfer degrees.
An independent college
For years the college operated under contract with another community college for accreditation. It later earned its own accreditation, a milestone that gave it more control over its programs.
Why it matters
When young people leave for training, many never come back. A local college gives residents a path into skilled work while staying in the county, and gives employers a way to grow their own staff.
Marnie Holcomb is the editor and publisher of Oregon Coast Daily News and covers Lincoln County government and community life.
