The number of high school age students who do not complete high school is receiving increased attention as a serious challenge facing our educational and workforce systems. Moreover, the magnitude of the problem is becoming clear at the same time as a consensus is emerging that education beyond high school is critical to economic self-sufficiency…

Commitment to community is the cornerstone of the community college mission. Community colleges were created to serve the needs of their local communities, and that commitment to community continues to be a very good thing at community colleges throughout the country. But when commitment to community is so strong that colleges become too…

After careful review Workforce Strategy Center has articulated a policy assessment of President George W. Bush's Community-Based Job Training Grants initiative. WSC called the $250 million Community-Based Job Training Grants plan right on track by emphasizing: A Strong Role of Community Colleges in Workforce Development: All available research…

Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) pairs English as a second language (ESL)/adult basic education (ABE) instructors and professional-technical instructors in the classroom to concurrently provide students with literacy education and workforce skills. In Spring 2004, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges' Offices…

Community colleges have played a key role in connecting high school tech prep, industry training, and baccalaureate education. As an institution of higher education known for its adaptability and willingness to provide customized training, the community college has been influenced by industry and federal policy (e.g., Workforce Investment Act…

This report examines the outcomes of a workshop held at the National Science Foundation on August 15-16, 2005. Forty-six participants, representing academia, industry, government agencies, professional associations, and special projects met to: (1) discuss how geospatial technology training at two-year colleges can address workforce needs; and…

In 2002, public safety professionals in California developed a unique, groundbreaking curriculum targeting an audience of in-service, pre-supervisory, professionals from all three major public safety disciplines--corrections, law enforcement, and fire. This article features the California Public Safety Leadership & Ethics Program (CPSLEP), a…

Not since the Depression, when the unemployed flocked to community colleges for training, have community colleges been more squarely in the workforce development spotlight than now. Long recognized for providing affordable access to students seeking associate's degrees or transfer to four-year postsecondary institutions, community colleges have…

National data increasingly show that the prevailing model of workforce development-- job search and basic training leading to an entry-level job-- does little to promote economic self sufficiency or career progression. In the face of strong evidence that some form of post-secondary training and education is needed to support a family, there is a…

This fact sheet summarizes data gathered in the 2007 annual survey for the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program. This was the eighth annual survey of ATE projects and centers conducted by The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University. Included here are statistics about the program's grantees and…

With the enactment of Act 46 of 2005, the General Assembly changed the landscape of funding, auditing and reporting for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's fourteen community colleges. Act 46 also requires that the Department of Education produce an annual report reflecting data collected from the community colleges relevant to the immediately…

The Illinois Community College Board provided more than $3.3 million to community colleges during fiscal year 2007 to provide workforce and economic development services through their Business and Industry Centers. The workforce development activities conducted under this grant include customized job training on campus or on-site at a business;…

The Wyoming Community College Commission (WCCC) collaborates with Wyoming's seven community colleges to provide educational experiences that strengthen, support and enrich communities and prepare students to successfully meet life's challenges and recognize and profit from opportunities. Wyoming's seven community colleges provide affordable,…

Canadian colleges and institutes are well-positioned to respond to the needs of immigrants given the role of these institutions in providing learning opportunities for 900 communities across the country. Colleges and institutes have demonstrated leadership in increasing access, effectiveness and efficiency through the application of prior learning…

WorkFirst is Washington State's welfare-to-work program. The program's mission is to help citizens get "a job, a better job, a better life." Inaugurated in 1996, it is based on the 1996 federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) welfare reform legislation. As part of this new program, the community and technical college system…