Only a few studied medical, engineering or business-related courses.
According to SHEFA, 420 of its recipients graduated from 2005 to Aug. 2010.
Of this number, 180 studied education while 54 enrolled in business courses. The rest took various other courses, including sociology, political science, psychology, communication, anthropology, aeronautics and fine arts.
SHEFA administrator Henry Hofschneider said they will discuss how the scholarship program can help produce graduates for jobs that will be left behind by guest workers.
He said SHEFA will be part of the government efforts to identify the field of studies needed by the local economy.
He noted that Northern Marianas Colleges has a nursing program which is considered a priority field of study.
“But is the enrollment of students in that program high to continue justifying it as a priority field of study? I think NMC, the Department of Public Health and maybe the Department of Labor should take another look at that program and decide if it is still a priority field of study,” Hofschneider said.
He added that SHEFA can design its program using government data.
Hofschneider believes that the current fields eligible for financial assistance are worth every scholarship dollar.
“The fields of study under the SHEFA program cover a wide range of careers — in the end, the successful students, those who complete their studies and graduate from college, will enter the competitive job market with a better chance of landing a job and performing much better,” he said.
SHEFA is also providing financial assistance to eligible applicants who want to learn trade skills.
These students also have a better chance of landing jobs, he added.
