The shortage of skilled labor and the consequent need for workforce training have become critical issues for American businesses in our fast changing, highly technical, and competitive, global economy. College contract training programs are one potential source for meeting the growing need for training. The purpose of this research was to develop…

This report examines the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) and its effectiveness in helping Philadelphians attain higher education and marketable job skills. The study compares the college with three sets of similar institutions nationwide based on data from 2008 to 2013 and includes insights from the school's leaders, as well as local and…

Community colleges in the United States have become major providers of human resource development services, particularly through offering workforce development training to local employers. The addition of workforce development services to community colleges is a fairly recent phenomenon. Some see workforce development efforts as diluting community…

Profit-generating entrepreneurial initiatives have become increasingly important as community colleges look for alternative revenue to support escalating costs in an environment characterized by funding constraints. Academic capitalism was used as the conceptual framework to determine whether community colleges have become increasingly market…

Postsecondary noncredit education has become an increasingly popular option for community college students in recent years. At many two-year institutions, noncredit education enrolls more students than do credit programs. This article presents an excerpt from a recent report published by the Community College Research Center, part of the Teachers…

This study inventoried state policies and regulations on and financial support for noncredit occupational programming offered by community colleges. Information collected from state- and community college-level administrators and Web-based searches is organized by a range of issues related to noncredit occupational programming and funding, such as…

Postsecondary noncredit education has become increasingly common; many community colleges now enroll more noncredit than credit students. Much of the growth has occurred in workforce instruction and contract training, programs are noted for their role in meeting shifting workforce demands and providing skills in a way that is flexible and…

Locally governed Iowa Community Colleges are very effective at meeting the needs of local constituencies. However, this focus on local needs can hinder collaborative efforts. The Iowa Associations of Community College Trustees and Presidents determined there was a need for a single point of contact for the development and purchase of training…

Workforce development grants and contracts are important methods for sustaining financial support for community colleges. This chapter details decision factors, college issues, possible pitfalls, and methods for procuring and handling government contracts and grants for workforce training.

Describes the now widespread community college involvement in contract training, explaining how this involvement arose and analyzing its impact on the community college. Information comes from national data on contract training and from case studies of the forms contract training takes in community colleges in five states servicing five very…

A survey was conducted of all 106 community colleges in California to determine the characteristics of programs implemented by the colleges to provide employee training for business, industry, and government. The survey gathered the following information on all existing programs: number of years in existence, number of contracts, enrollment,…

This booklet summarizes facts and statistics on community colleges in California. It describes the mission, enrollment, student costs, programs, services, degrees awarded and supporting revenue. Information is included on individual colleges and districts, student profiles, training opportunties, and a list of the top programs offered in the…

In summer 1993, Santa Fe Community College, New Mexico, created the External Programs Division (EPD) under its credit instruction program to serve the needs of non-traditional students. The EPD encompasses contract training, the Flex Lab, distance education, the AutoDesk Training Center, an Alternative Fuels program, and the corrections training…

Describes a study of 103 faculty at a comprehensive community college to identify the issues needing improvement related to the effective provision of training services to business and industry. Indicates that faculty identified needs for training in instructional methods; relating to learners; and teaching business-related topics, such as team…

Describes a study of the direct services to business provided by Colorado's community colleges, including all customized, contracted instructional and noninstructional activities. Compares Colorado with national trends with respect to diversity, concentration, expansion, and tension between academic and business-service roles. (MAB)