The American education system and labor market are heavily biased toward college graduates. However, for many Americans--perhaps even the majority, who do not earn even a community-college degree--and for many career paths, positions that combine immediate on-the-job experience with employer-sponsored training offer the best opportunity to enter…

Argues that the nation's community colleges provide the vital service of upgrading workers' skills to keep companies competitive globally. Points to a survey of 608 community colleges indicating that 69% offer workforce retraining. Suggests that the role of colleges will expand if they are successful in making workers more competitive. (XZ)

Describes a survey of manufacturers in a midwestern state conducted to determine why businesses utilize postsecondary institutions for corporate training. Indicates that there was broader use of community colleges than of universities and that businesses used postsecondary education for emerging technology training, job training, personal…

Argues that community colleges give less attention to noncredit courses and programs, those that are designed to assist in some sort of job training or those that simply enrich a student's knowledge. Sees this credit-based value system as highlighting the discrepancy between what community colleges offer and what students, especially older ones,…

To provide cost effective, quality training to businesses and industrial organizations in central Ohio, Columbus State Community College (CSCC) established the Business and Industry Training Division (BITD) in 1986. The Division has increased the sales of training programs and the number of credit and non-credit class sections, and in 1994,…

States that the U.S. economy exhibits a voracious demand for information technology (IT) certification programs and, it is claimed, the U.S. system of education isn't producing them. Explains that most IT certification providers operate outside the formal postsecondary education system, do not participate in federal student aid and reporting…

Employers have begun to see that one of the keys to corporate success is a workforce of adaptable and agile learners who are constantly upgrading skills. While a gap currently exists between employer needs and qualified employees in the marketplace, businesses have shown themselves to be willing to fill unmet needs. Over 1,000 corporate colleges…

Four major trends reshaping the American economy are having a tremendous effect on the number and nature of jobs in the United States: (1) corporate downsizing; (2) the outsourcing of work and services; (3) increasing use of "contingent" workers; and (4) the increasing income disparity between high school and college graduates. These trends have…

For many students, the community college is the first and perhaps only place where technological and humanities instruction will be articulated. It is suggested that technology has never been far from the set of practices, usually academic, called "humanities" and the boundary between the two has long been unstable and contested. However, while…

This paper explores the divisive issue of providing effective workforce development services from within a traditionally run academic institution. Over the years, state funding levels for community colleges have decreased dramatically. As a result, college presidents have had to become more adept at finding alternative sources of revenue. Many…

In spring 1992, the Southport Institute for Policy Analysis conducted a study of the role that community colleges play as providers of workplace education (WPE) programs, i.e., programs established for, or in cooperation with, a private sector company to help employees obtain a General Equivalency Degree (GED) or upgrade their basic skills. A…

This document records the oral and written testimony of witnesses at a U.S. Senate hearing on education, small business, and the economy. During the hearing, representatives of the public schools, vocational and technical training, and community colleges, as well as representatives of large and small businesses and persons involved in linking…

Increasingly, small and mid-sized businesses are becoming just as focused on work force training as large corporations are. The training being provided by smaller companies is extending beyond nuts-and-bolts instruction into the area of core business skills, such as leading, managing, thinking creatively, and solving problems. States are…

This report is the product of an effort by the Office of Technology Policy to assess current and future needs for information technology (IT) workers through a comprehensive information-gathering project that included the following three activities: (1) nationwide regional meetings that included discussions with industry executives,…