Texas State Technical College (TSTC) single mission is graduating students who can go on to attain higher-paying jobs. The state's funding formula was specifically designed to hold TSTC accountable to accomplish this mission. Texas statute stipulates that TSTC will offer "courses of study in technical-vocational education for which there is…

Economic projections show that skills-based technological change across industries and occupations will support rising demand for postsecondary education and training. By 2025, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce projects that 68 percent of the jobs in Iowa will require some level of postsecondary education. A key…

Postsecondary education and credentials are key to economic mobility for individuals and economic competitiveness for our nation. Although the economic return to credentials varies significantly by field of study, generally workers with higher levels of education have higher wages, work more hours, and suffer lower rates and shorter durations of…

In today's highly-skilled economy, rewarding career pathways are available to those who acquire technical skills by enrolling in certificate and associate degree programs in a community or technical college. Such programs are often more costly to offer than liberal arts and sciences programs that prepare students to transfer to four-year…

The Michigan Center for Student Success commissioned this study to determine whether strategies employed to improve adult students' success at 41 Breaking Through colleges nationwide have taken root at Michigan's original colleges and spread beyond them. A statewide survey revisited four of the colleges profiled in previous publications, and the…

California's community colleges are key to resolving the shortage of educated workers that is threatening the competitive position of the state's economy. Tremendous potential for addressing this challenge resides in the system's career technical education (CTE) mission which, with appropriate structures and support, could help many more students…

The California Community Colleges are vital to closing the projected shortfall of Californians with a postsecondary credential and sustaining the state's economic competitiveness. Increasing the number of students who pursue and earn certificates and associate degrees in career technical education (CTE) fields is an important component of the…

Article briefly reviews six community colleges and how they are contributing to the career education movement. (GB)

In the past, the associate degree was awarded upon completion of two-year engineering technology programs. Industrial needs have influenced the curricula for these programs, which now involve four years leading to baccalaureate degrees that bolster status and career opportunities for engineering technicians. (WM)

Current education reform efforts show a lack of attention to the three out of four students currently in the educational system who are unlikely to ever earn baccalaureate degrees. The Tech Prep Associate Degree Program (TPAD) is aimed at preparing this neglected majority for the demands of a complex and shifting economy and improving teaching and…

The Houston Community College (HCC) 2011-2012 Fact Book provides statistical information about the college district. It is important for the reader to be aware that data presented in this publication may differ slightly from statistics found in other district reports. Such variances may result from differences methodology including the source of…

In fall 1993, a roundtable was held with leading Tech Prep practitioners to discuss the direction Tech Prep has taken since 1990 and emerging issues related to the implementation of Tech Prep Associate Degree (TPAD) programs. Stemming from the roundtable, this monograph describes Tech Prep, provides recommendations for implementation, and…

This paper examines the impact American community colleges have on the nation's economic development. The profile of the community college offered here indicates that there are 1,236 public and private non-profit community colleges in the United States, with an additional 300 to 400 for-profit institutions sometimes included in the category. The…

This publication includes 13 articles: (1) ATE [Advanced Technological Education] Attuned to Global Competition; (2) Materials Science Center Supplies Information on Often-Overlooked Field; (3) CSEC [Cyber Security Education Consortium] Builds Corps of Cyber Technicians; (4) KCTCS [Kentucky Community and Technical College System] Is U.S. Partner…

In this document, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reports on the state of technical education in Europe, the United States, and Canada. It states that technical colleges are emerging as key institutions in technology-based education to fill industry requirement for more highly skilled and technically proficient…