Older adults are enrolling in community colleges in droves. Photo courtesy of AACC.

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As a corporate manager, Wylie Schweider started a used car superstore; now he teaches math in Richmond, Va. Jan Albert stopped selling real estate in Southern California and started her own caregiver business. Both made their leaps after taking courses for midlife career switchers at their local community colleges.

Now, new community college programs designed to assist those making encore career transitions are helping Americans in midlife retrain for jobs likely to remain in demand through the economic downturn. The offerings prepare older adults for encore careers as health navigators, math and science teachers, green-energy trainers and other jobs that combine social impact with continued income.

>>See a map showing where these community colleges are located.

The career-transition offerings are supported by two grant programs. The three-year "50 Plus Initiative" sponsored by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and The Atlantic Philanthropies is supporting new and ongoing programs. The Community College Encore Career Initiative sponsored by Civic Ventures and MetLife Foundation, recently selected eight colleges for $25,000 grants.

The grant recipients are spread across 18 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

“Community colleges have a long tradition of responding to community needs, and the 50-plusers are coming to them for help," said Mary Sue Vickers, director of Plus 50 Initiative for the AACC. In addition to encore career help, the AACC's programs offer boomers classes in personal finance, technology and other general career skills.

Under the AACC program, 10 community colleges will launch new “demonstration” programs for students over age 50, with support from five “mentor” colleges that already have established programs for boomers. The demonstration colleges are:

Chaffey Community College in Cucamonga, Calif., will train boomer volunteers to mentor and tutor under-prepared students to help them be successful in college

Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood, Wash., will offer an environmental science programs along with a volunteer on-site project for boomers exploring sustainability. Classroom lessons will focus on restoring wetlands, forests and an oak savannah.

Joliet Junior College in Joliet, Ill., will offer workforce skills certification programs to students over age 50 for new careers in high-growth jobs in health care and education.

Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke, Pa., will provide courses and services to encourage new job skills development and entrepreneurship for 50-plus students.

Northern Virginia Community College, located near Washington D.C., will offer programs on retirement, personal finance, entrepreneurship, technology literacy and good health.

Richland College in Dallas, will assess learning needs for boomers and help them redefine their lives, as well as offer retraining for experienced workers.

Santa Fe Community College in Gaineville, Fla., will help train baby boomer nurses to become instructors for nursing education programs.

St. Louis Community College in St. Louis, Mo., will establish pilot workshops on four campuses to help boomers transition to the next phases of their lives with courses in travel study, art classes and other interests.

Wake Technical Community College in St. Raleigh, N.C., will offer afternoon college classes that cater to plus-50 students.

Western Dakota Technical Institute in Rapid City, S.D., will develop and pilot a national training model for boomers who want to become seasonal rangers and interpretative guides at national parks.

Community colleges receiving AACC grants to serve as mentors for the program are:

Cape Code Community College in West Barnstable, Mass., has conducted focus groups and surveys with boomers to identify courses and volunteer opportunities. The college will expand current programs and establish a talent bank that matches older students with civic and service opportunities.

Central Florida Community College in Ocala, Fla., will develop course offerings that lead to new employment opportunities for older adults, including online business classes, individual and corporate tax preparation courses, training in less physically demanding medical fields such as medical transcription and intergenerational computer courses.

Century College in White Bear Lake, Minn., will help boomers retiring from professional and supervisory positions apply their leadership skills as community volunteers. They will also help older professionals retrain for new jobs in health care and technology.

Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., will redesign its small business development curriculum to offer second careers through business ownership at a wine and cooking school for wine hobbyists and food enthusiasts. In addition, a joint program with the Area Agency on Aging will train in-home caregivers.

Community College of Spokane Wash., will help older workers upgrade or gain new skills and receive retraining to fill regional job vacancies. The college will also expand course delivery to rural areas through distance learning.

Read about the eight more community colleges creating encore career programs under the MetLife/Civic Ventures program here.

Chances are there’s a community college near you with a program that can help you transition to an encore career. Ninety percent of Americans live within driving distance of one of the nation’s more than 1,100 community colleges. And if they don't have the program you want, why not ask for it?

For more information, visit AACC's Web site and Civic Ventures' Web site.