Washington's community and technical colleges are a collective, powerful, unmatched resource for advancing prosperity through education. These 34 colleges not only connect with employers in the regions where they operate, but also with each other through common programs--like advanced manufacturing and allied health--that align with Washington's…

Recognizing that higher education, including community colleges, four-year colleges, and research universities, cannot help drive economic growth in their states unless students' academic success is linked to the needs of the marketplace, governors and state policymakers are beginning to move beyond their focus on getting more students to get…

This report looks at three very distinct intermediary organizations--The Reinvestment Fund, a social-purpose lender and financier of community and economic revitalization in Philadelphia; Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, a labor/management partnership in Milwaukee; and the Seattle Jobs Initiative, an agency that began its operations within…

More than ever before, demographic changes in Washington combined with increasing workforce skill demands require an educated citizenry in the state. This paper describes a new initiative by the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges aimed at measuring colleges and awarding funds to them for improvements in the significant…

This document examines recent developments in strategic planning for employment, identifies key elements of strategic plans, examines issues to be addressed in implementing such plans, examines New Jersey's state plan in detail, and provides short sketches of the strategic plans for employment in six other states. Following an executive summary,…

Using a Virginia study as a model, this study assessed the effect on Washington state's economy of its 27 campus community college system. The study was based on a simple circular cash-flow model for the years 1969-1976 and measured economic impact in three areas: on the level of business volume done in-state, on employment, and on total state…

State governments across the nation are engaging community colleges as cornerstones of their comprehensive economic development strategies. This executive summary summarizes the efforts of 10 states, recommended by national experts, to deploy community colleges in support of state economic development priorities. The 10 states are: Florida,…

State governments across the nation are engaging community colleges as cornerstones of their comprehensive economic development strategies. This report summarizes the efforts of 10 states, recommended by national experts, to deploy community colleges in support of state economic development priorities. The 10 states are: Florida, Mississippi,…

A study examined six cases where job training and economic development had been successfully linked through an interorganizational arrangement. Cases were nominated by U.S. Employment and Training Administration officials, job training and economic development experts, and published reports. The six organizations of primary focus were Pima County…

This proceedings reflects the content of a day-long conference designed to introduce selected publics to established models for economic stimulus with applicability to Washington state; provide a focus for the statewide legislative studies of education and high technology; and promote the Washington state community college system as the primary…

In their 2004 State of the State speeches, the nation's governors cited many issues competing for their attention and their states' resources, including health care, education, crime, and security (Nodine 2004). Among the most compelling challenges were those related to economic development and the ability of a state's workforce to meet the needs…

This document is the 1996 update to a 1994 Comprehensive Plan for Workforce Training and Education in Washington State. The plan focuses on collective actions that public and private sector partners need to take to have the best work force development system in the nation. The plan details how jobs are increasingly demanding higher-level skills,…

This report highlights the Washington State work force training system's initiatives from July 1995 to June 1996 in the following areas: Performance Management and Accountability, School-to-Work Transition, competency-based education, linking training with economic development, public awareness, and one-stop career center system/collection of…

Three evaluations analyzed program characteristics and participant results in work force education and coordination in Washington State. The Employment Security Department's evaluation of Job Training Partnership Act Titles II and III looked for an association between participant characteristics and the type of training they receive and between…

Battelle Memorial Institute conducted outcome, net impact, and cost-benefit evaluations of six workforce training programs in Washington State for occupations that do not require a bachelor's degree: postsecondary workforce training at community and technical colleges; adult basic skills education at community and technical colleges; Job Training…