In this article, we present an example of a student's recently completed dissertation in practice (DiP) to demonstrate how the DiP can serve as culminating evidence of a student's successful preparation as a scholar-practitioner. The purpose of this DiP was to determine to what extent students develop workforce skills while completing a community…

West central Georgia has become a burgeoning center for advanced manufacturing and logistics. With facilities for global brands across automotive, agriculture, tech, and biotech industries, the region (which includes Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Haralson, Heard, Meriwether, and Troup counties) has experienced a 100+ percent surge in job demand for…

The "Community College Skills-Based Hiring Playbook" is a comprehensive guide for community colleges aiming to implement or enhance skills-based hiring practices. By prioritizing skills over degrees, employers in partnership with community colleges can unlock opportunities for STARs and contribute to building a more equitable and…

Purpose: American Community colleges are vital to the country's economic mobility and are leaders in developing and facilitating career, technical, and workforce education. This study explored employer perspectives on employees' common and specialized skills across industries in the United States. Design/methodology/approach: Employers were…

The United States is currently experiencing a decline of skilled talent in the workforce, with healthcare occupations suffering the most due to a loss in workforce talent and the onset of an aging population. This talent shortage is attributed to a "skills gap." The current case study used qualitative methodology to examine the expansion…

This yearlong qualitative research project examined the perspectives, experiences, and expertise of academic leaders, program directors, and faculty in tying learning outcomes to workforce skills at a variety of public and private two-year and four-year institutions across the United States. This research centered on students' workforce skills…

Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC) is among the leading tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) for enrollment in career and technical education (CTE) programs. Since their inception over 50 years ago, tribal colleges and universities have had a strong focus on CTE, offering students a variety of opportunities to develop skillsets that…

Community colleges are the leader in facilitating career and technical education (CTE) and workforce development (WD) programs. However, employers who hire recent graduates of these programs question the quality of the education provided. This qualitative study used a focus group comprised of manufacturing and engineering professionals in Florida…

Given changes in the 21st century workplace and expectations of employers, the notion that a bachelor's degree is the sole pathway to sustainable employment and a middle-class life in the United States has become obsolete. Many (e.g., Fleming, 2016) have argued that employers are now seeking employees with technical skills, digital literacy, and…

Manufacturing in advanced open economies has experienced significant disruption. Rapid technological change, outsourcing and off shoring have beset manufacturing resulting in a general and steady decline in manufacturing employment. Despite this turbulence, there remains a strong nostalgia for manufacturing resulting in frequent public policy…

Workforce development and career and technical education (CTE) have long provided reliable pathways to middle skill jobs and a gateway to the middle class. Given recent changes in middle skills jobs, the education landscape, and federal policy priorities, the role of CTE in the U.S. educational landscape is evolving more rapidly, encompassing a…

The American dream promised that if you worked hard, you could move up, with well-paying working-class jobs providing a gateway to an ever-growing middle class. Today, however, we have increasing inequality, not economic convergence. Technological advances are putting quality jobs out of reach for workers who lack the proper skills and training.…

Debate over the "skills gap" and how to address it has consumed considerable space in discussions about U.S. higher education, workforce development, and economic strength. The conventional narrative describes a fundamental mismatch between the skills that employers say they need in their employees and the skills that jobseekers possess,…

This issue of "DataPoints" shows how community colleges can tap into the first and second generation of immigrants, which can potentially increase their college completion. Data on credential attainment of adults ages 25 to 64 by immigrant generation in 2017 is examined.

COVID-19 has left tens of millions of Americans out of work or uncertain about the future of their current jobs, and thousands of firms urgently reassessing their own viability and path forward. Even before the pandemic led to the highest national unemployment rate since the Great Depression, American businesses and workers were anxious about how…