Just as good community colleges pivot to mirror the needs of their local communities, the multistate Auto Communities Consortium (ACC) continues to evolve to counteract the challenges encountered by employers in its service region. Established in 2010 to address pervasive economic losses faced by communities whose major employers were auto…

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…

As the nation, bogged in recession, focuses on job creation and economic growth for relief, attention has turned to education as the key to building a workforce to fill current and future job needs. However, to the surprise of some, much of the discussion involves community colleges, rather than traditional four-year, degree-granting universities…

As the nation's population ages and the Baby Boom generation nears retirement, the need for skilled healthcare workers in Iowa and across the nation grows. Healthcare is one of the fastest growing sectors of the U.S. economy, and one of the top industries for job growth and job creation in Iowa. The increase in the number of healthcare positions…

Describes research studies focused on community college workforce development efforts. Displays the extent of training needs in general and specific workforce areas. Results were pooled into eight workplace skills areas using a weighting percentage procedure, with computer related, interpersonal/team, and critical thinking skills emerging as the…

The emerging transition to a low-carbon and sustainable economy holds great promise for economic growth and prosperity, innovation, and job creation. New green technologies and discoveries--coupled with new demand and forward-thinking public policies that advance sustainability and encourage public-private investments--are starting to transform…

This report presents background information on the role of California community colleges in meeting the workforce development needs of the competitive global economy. It asserts that California is now experiencing a "new economy," which calls for employees to be more adaptable and flexible in their expectations and attitudes. The work of…

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the Industrial Production Technology Programs in Illinois, which, according to Illinois Community College Board policy, must be reviewed at least once every five years. The disciplines included in this report are: industrial manufacturing technology, corrosion technology, plastics technology, and…

This study reviews the relationship that has been established in the steel industry between the Canadian Steel Trade and Employment Congress (CSTEC) and education/training institutions called upon to provide steelworker job training and development programs. It describes the forces that brought the parties together and the difficulties in forming…

This paper's overiew of the relationship between vocational education and productivity includes the presentation of results from a multiple regression analysis of vocational education enrollments and various productivity indices. This tentative analysis contributes additional observations to the studies reviewed and offers pertinent suggestions…

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 provided states with a great amount of flexibility in the implementation of a system-wide approach to job training and workforce development. The legislation consolidated employment and training services into a one-stop system that is known as JobLink Career Centers in North Carolina. This document presents…

Project QUEST (Quality Employment through Skills Training) was begun in 1992 to provide unemployed and working poor residents of San Antonio, Texas, with employment training and job placement services. The program provides tuition subsidies and ancillary support services to low-income San Antonio residents enrolled in two-year associate's degree…

Because of the growing anomaly in the United States and elsewhere--that there is plenty of work, but not enough jobs--vocational/technical schools must develop a new, deeper level of compatibility between work and learning, keeping both systems flexible. Rather than thinking of the transition from learning to working in terms of linking disparate…

There is increasing evidence that American schools are doing a poor job of preparing students for the work force. Several studies have concluded that North Carolina has the worst school-to-work educational training system in the industrialized world. America's educators still have not learned how to deal with the problems that poverty creates for…

This paper contends that, because the direct connection between education and earnings is growing, with higher earnings increasingly linked to some form of postsecondary education and training, economic self-sufficiency frequently requires that workers advance beyond high school. At the same time, employers are increasingly reporting difficulty in…