ERIC Number: ED654912
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Jun
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Noncredit Career and Technical Education Programs in Virginia. Early Findings from the FastForward Study
Betsy Tessler; Kelsey Brown; Di Xu
MDRC
Across the country, as technology continues to advance rapidly, the labor market exhibits a growing need for workers who receive frequent and ongoing skill development. Employers in many fields struggle to find adequately trained workers to meet their needs. Community college noncredit career and technical education (CTE) programs are an important contributor to skill and workforce development and help to close this "skills gap." This brief summarizes early findings from a study of FastForward, which uses a pay-for-performance model to fund noncredit CTE programs at the 23 colleges in the Virginia Community College System. FastForward aims to increase the supply of workers who receive credentials for high-demand occupations in Virginia. The FastForward study is focused on identifying institutional and programmatic factors that may influence learners' academic and labor market outcomes. This brief presents findings on the different approaches used by colleges and programs to deliver training, student and staff experiences in these CTE programs, and students' academic and labor market outcomes.
Descriptors: Noncredit Courses, Vocational Education, Community Colleges, Financial Support, Labor Force Development, Job Training, Educational Finance, Student Needs, Tuition, Student Characteristics, Enrollment Trends, Credentials, Employment Level
MDRC. 16 East 34th Street 19th Floor, New York, NY 10016-4326. Tel: 212-532-3200; Fax: 212-684-0832; e-mail: publications@mdrc.org; Web site: http://www.mdrc.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED); Carnegie Corporation of New York; Lumina Foundation
Authoring Institution: MDRC
Identifiers - Location: Virginia
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A220224