In today's labor market, students increasingly need greater levels of postsecondary education and training to enter or advance in many industries. Meanwhile, employers are calling for the education system to better align with industry needs, as their demands for a skilled workforce continue to rise. In response to the increasing emphasis for…

The Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant represented an unprecedented investment by the federal government in integrated postsecondary education and workforce training offered primarily by community and technical colleges. Between 2011 and 2018, 256 grants totaling nearly $2 billion were awarded through…

Looking beyond institutional strategies, the National Commission on Adult Literacy (2008) called for legislation that would make workforce preparation the primary goal of adult education, including addressing education for unemployed and lower-skilled workers, and other adult groups historically underserved by higher education. Further, state…

Shifting Gears was launched in 2007 by the Joyce Foundation, a Chicago-based organization focused on improving the quality of life of citizens residing in the Great Lakes region of the United States. The primary goal of Shifting Gears is to increase the number of low-skilled, low-income Midwestern adults who obtain college-level occupational…

Focusing on nontraditional workforce, economic, and community development programs being developed within community colleges, this monograph defines these efforts as "entrepreneurial colleges" within community colleges and reviews characteristics and trends related to these efforts. Following an executive summary and introduction, the first…

Provides a conceptual framework for categorizing variables and elements used in evaluating customized training programs and for the maintenance of records demonstrating the accountability of the programs. Suggests a model based on variables associated with the educational context, processes used to fill client needs, and outcomes of the program.…