Career-focused education has always been part of the mission of community colleges. However, new technology is putting a premium on occupational skills, and educators focused on preparing learners for the workplace have a new set of tools at their disposal. This has changed the approach of community colleges to preparing learners for the workforce. The key elements of the new approach are close working partnerships with employers, experiential and work-based learning, shorter and stackable credentials, a more flexible approach to college credit, and more options for mid-career adults.This report is the result of a focus group convened by the Lumina Foundation. Participants included innovative community college leaders from around the country who shared challenges and strategized for the future. They also discussed obstacles to scaling this new approach and ways to overcome them. The report describes how community college leaders can incorporate or improve these approaches at their institutions to better prepare their learners for success after graduation.
Access and EquityFunding and Finance
With growing interest in free community college programs, the Education Commission of the States released a policy brief that…
