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Higher Education; Community Colleges; College Role; Labor Force Development; Economic Development; Human Capital; Vocational Education; Educational Attainment; Associate Degrees; Educational Finance; Systems Approach; Administrative Organization; Alignment (Education); Credentials; Certification; Labor Market; Employment Opportunities; Educational Change; Efficiency

Abstract:
The Obama Administration has helped articulate the important role community colleges play in educating the nation's workforce and boosting the economy. With a large share of projected job openings requiring college education of less than a bachelor's degree and offering family-supporting wages, the nation's community colleges can make a huge contribution toward a competitive national workforce. Community colleges offer a broad array of career-oriented certificates and associate degrees through what is generally called "career technical education" or CTE. Policymakers across the country are hoping to rely heavily on community college CTE programs to recharge their economies by helping students earn credentials with labor market value. The authors' research reveals that this great potential for CTE to contribute to college completion and the California economy is not being realized. As the authors explained in their 2011 report "The Road Less Traveled," students are not widely encouraged to pursue CTE programs and those who do make far more progress in completing course work than they do in acquiring credentials in their fields. Although one third of community college course enrollments are in courses classified as vocational, only 3% of all entering degree seekers earn vocational associate degrees and only 5% earn certificates. This brief is a summary of the first two reports in a four-part project to continue to identify challenges facing CTE and ways to deliver better results for students and the California workforce. The first report, released January 2012, provides an overview of the complex structure and funding arrangements for the CTE mission and the closely related economic and workforce development (EWD) mission. The second report, released February 2012, examines the full set of career-oriented credentials offered by the California Community Colleges (CCC). The entire four-part study is guided by a set of criteria that characterize an effective CTE enterprise in support of student success and a competitive state workforce. (Contains 9 figures and 13 endnotes.) [For related reports, see "Career Opportunities: Career Technical Education and the College Completion Agenda. Part II: Inventory and Analysis of CTE Programs in the California Community Colleges" (ED534074) and "Career Opportunities: Career Technical Education and the College Completion Agenda. Part I: Structure and Funding of Career Technical Education in the California Community Colleges" (ED534073).] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Higher Education; Educational Attainment; Community Colleges; College Role; Labor Force Development; Human Capital; Certification; Vocational Education; Associate Degrees; Enrollment; Efficiency; Partnerships in Education; School Business Relationship; Demand Occupations; College Credits; Administrative Organization; Coordination; Credentials; College Programs; Labor Market; Employment Opportunities

Abstract:
The Obama Administration has once again demonstrated the important role community colleges play in educating the nation's workforce and boosting the nation's economy with its recently proposed Community College to Career Fund. This $8 billion fund is aimed at forging partnerships between colleges and businesses to train workers for good-paying jobs in high-demand fields. To be positioned to benefit from this and other potential opportunities, the California Community Colleges (CCC) should accelerate efforts to strengthen and streamline career technical education (CTE). The authors' research reveals a potential for much greater value to be realized from the CTE mission area. Despite healthy course enrollments and credit accumulation in vocational coursework, only a small percentage of students earn certificates or vocational associate degrees. The colleges collectively offer a vast array of CTE programs that their research tells could be better shaped to meet student and employer needs. As a follow up to their February 2011 report, "The Road Less Traveled," the authors have embarked on a four-part project to examine the status of the CTE mission area of the California Community Colleges and ultimately to identify ways that state and system policy can best support colleges in operating CTE programs that meet the needs of students and their regions. The first report, released January 2012, concluded that fragmented and complex organizational structures and funding arrangements preclude development of a coherent systemwide strategy for CTE. For this second report, the authors examine the full set of career-oriented credentials offered by the CCC. They inventory CTE programs across the system and analyze program information as a basis for understanding how the breadth and complexity of CTE programming within and across colleges contributes to the overall performance of CTE. They also strive to determine how well the CTE programs offered across the system are meeting students' needs to identify, enroll in, and complete programs with real value in today's labor market. Regional Consortia for the California Community Colleges are appended. (Contains 20 figures and 27 notes.) [For related reports, see "Career Opportunities: Career Technical Education and the College Completion Agenda. Policy Brief" (ED534075) and "Career Opportunities: Career Technical Education and the College Completion Agenda. Part I: Structure and Funding of Career Technical Education in the California Community Colleges" (ED534073).] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Higher Education; Educational Attainment; Community Colleges; College Role; Labor Force Development; Human Capital; Certification; Vocational Education; Associate Degrees; Educational Finance; Alignment (Education); Credentials; Educational Needs; Labor Market; High School Graduates; College Graduates; State Agencies; Employment Opportunities

Abstract:
The national college completion agenda is in full swing but the role of "community" colleges in that agenda is under-appreciated. With a large share of projected job openings requiring college education of less than a bachelor's degree and offering family-supporting wages, the nation's community colleges can make a huge contribution toward a competitive national workforce. Community colleges offer a broad array of career-oriented certificates and associate degrees through what is generally called "career technical education" or CTE. Policymakers across the country are hoping to rely heavily on community college CTE programs to recharge their economies. To fulfill this hope, community colleges must tailor their offerings to address labor market needs and must design programs to be accessible and valuable to students with different levels of preparation and at different stages of their careers. Recent high school graduates, under-employed and unemployed adults, incumbent workers looking for career advancement, and college graduates seeking retraining all can benefit from CTE programs that offer clear pathways from shorter-term, entry-level to longer-term, higher-level credentials in their chosen fields. In California, the CTE mission is not realizing its tremendous potential, as the authors explained in their 2011 report "The Road Less Traveled." Students are not widely encouraged to pursue CTE programs and those who do make far more progress in completing course work than they do in acquiring credentials in their fields. This report is the first in a four-part project aimed ultimately at identifying ways that state and system policy can best support California's community colleges in operating CTE programs that meet the needs of their students and regions. Here the authors provide an overview of the complex structure and funding arrangements for the CTE mission and the closely related economic and workforce development (EWD) mission. CTE primarily serves "students" through credit-based programs; EWD primarily serves "employers" by addressing the education and training needs of industries of economic importance to the state and its regions. Their primary interest is in the capacity of community college CTE to deliver education and training that leads to credentials of value to students and employers and contributes to a competitive state workforce. The authors include EWD in their study because of its potential to help shape a workforce-relevant CTE mission. An examination of the full extent of the EWD mission and its role in state workforce development is outside the scope of this project. Appended are: (1) Research Methods and Resources; (2) State Agency Programs With Connection to Community College Workforce and Training Mission; and (3) Principal Community College Workforce and Training Programs. (Contains 7 figures and 29 notes.) [For related reports, see "Career Opportunities: Career Technical Education and the College Completion Agenda. Policy Brief" (ED534075) and "Career Opportunities: Career Technical Education and the College Completion Agenda. Part II: Inventory and Analysis of CTE Programs in the California Community Colleges" (ED534074).] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Educational Trends; Enrollment; College Students; Community Colleges; Human Capital; Economic Climate; Educational Attainment; Education Work Relationship; Credentials; Transfer Rates (College)

Abstract:
Over the past few years, as the nation has attempted to emerge from a recession, people are increasingly turning to education as a means to return to work in an economy that demands new skills and a larger number of knowledge-based workers. The demand for more education has resulted in increased enrollments in postsecondary institutions, especially in community colleges, which have experienced substantial increases in enrollment since fall 2007. The demand felt on college campuses aligns with projections indicating a strong need for a more educated workforce. In response to the demands of students, as well as of business and industry, community colleges are rebalancing institutional missions and practices to focus more directly on ensuring student success. This brief presents data on educational attainment at community colleges, with an eye to what the data portend. One extremely positive conclusion can be reached: Educational attainment for all key populations is increasing at community colleges. The investments made in a community college education, by individuals and by society as a whole, are paying off. Over the past 20 years, the percent increase in credentials awarded has been double the percent increase in enrollment. These findings are even more pronounced for students of color. Consistent with other research, actual rates of transfer for students are much higher than commonly reported as well. These gains are the result of students, schools, families, and communities working in concert. They are also the result of innumerable partnerships and initiatives in which community colleges have been or continue to be engaged. Much more work has yet to be done by these stakeholders and their supporting partners, but the path to increasing student success is not untraveled. Short-Term Certificates are appended. (Contains 1 table, 11 figures and 2 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Credentials; Extension Education; Articulation (Education); Associate Degrees; Community Colleges; Bachelors Degrees; Higher Education; Two Year Colleges; Models; Partnerships in Education; School Community Relationship; College Students; Campuses

Abstract:
Community colleges have a storied history of successfully providing pathways and access to credentials and degrees through various models of delivery and in diverse programs of study. Until recently, the highest degree offered by community colleges was the associate degree. During the past decade, major changes have occurred in the landscape of higher education, with one of the most significant being the expansion of community college missions to include the delivery and conferring of baccalaureate degrees. The community college baccalaureate has emerged as a continued pathway to a higher level of education--four-year degrees with specializations in applied and workforce fields of study, such as technology, management, business, nursing, engineering, and teacher education. As community colleges evolved from junior colleges to comprehensive institutions, contemporary community colleges demonstrated a commitment to increased access to the baccalaureate through education partnerships. Providing access to baccalaureate degree credentials is not new for community colleges, as almost all implement some form of partnerships. Such partnership models include "articulation models," "university extension models," "university center models," and "community college baccalaureate models." This article describes the aforementioned community college models and selected terminology as a means for further understanding the uses of the terms "community college baccalaureate," "applied baccalaureate," and "workforce baccalaureate." Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Credentials; Educational Attainment; Young Adults; Wages; Intellectual Disciplines; Economic Climate; Economic Factors; Educational Objectives; Goal Orientation; State Aid; Academic Degrees; Educational Trends; Trend Analysis; Classification; Comparative Analysis; Education Work Relationship; Salary Wage Differentials

Abstract:
In response to the declining international ranking in the percentage of young adults with a postsecondary credential, President Obama, philanthropic and policy organizations, and states have set bold goals essentially to double the number of postsecondary degrees and certificates produced in the next 8 to 13 years. Behind this commitment to increased attainment is a value proposition for policymakers and the general public that achieving these goals will lead to social and economic benefits for individuals, states, and the nation. The movement to increase the percentage of U.S. citizens with a high quality postsecondary degree or credential has proceeded alongside a prolonged economic downturn in which state appropriations have fallen below enrollment growth and inflation. While the relationship between education and income is strong, incomes vary significantly among the types of degrees by level and discipline and within each state. It is beneficial for policymakers to understand market conditions as they make investments in higher education. This report adds to the dialogue about the value of a college degree in two ways. First, on a national level it examines trends in degree production in terms of the median income associated with different degrees. The data suggest that both student choice and institutional degree production are being influenced by higher wage premiums. Second, this report provides state-level data on the wage premiums associated with degree attainment across seven broad discipline categories, in effect, taking the national-level analyses down to the state level. The report shows how the value of a degree varies across states and across disciplines within a state, providing states with both an overview of national trends and a more detailed look at the degrees produced and the economic value of those degrees within each state. Appended are: (1) Carnegie 2010 Classifications and SHEEO Groupings; (2) Discipline Category-CIP-FOD Crosswalk; (3) Median Wage Salary Income by Discipline Category; and (4) Completions by Level. (Contains 13 charts, 2 tables, and 10 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Employment Level; Employment Patterns; School Buildings; Employment; Unemployment; Debt (Financial); Job Skills; Community Colleges; Higher Education; Two Year Colleges; Skilled Workers; Economic Climate; Financial Problems; Financial Exigency; Retrenchment

Abstract:
The New England states continue to experience slow growth and slow recovery of the jobs lost in the 2008 to 2009 recession. The main reason for this is the continued weakness in global and U.S. economic conditions. The U.S. and New England economies continue to be affected by the weak European economy and sovereign debt crisis and by weakness in domestic and regional housing markets. The expectation is that the region will not return to its pre-recession employment level until 2015. As the national economy improves, albeit slowly, and some global markets expand and with them demand for manufactured products and high value-added services, the region's economic outlook will be influenced by the matching of workforce capabilities and skills with the emerging needs of employers. There is reported lack of education and training in the areas of job-specific skills and basic skills, and a shortage of "middle-skilled" workers. Rapid increases in technology have left significant numbers of middle skilled and other workers ill-prepared, and new and changing technology will likely cause future mismatches. All New England education institutions, and particularly community colleges, have been asked to help address skilled workforce mismatch concerns. The challenges in the current economy provide opportunity for education institutions to more tightly align their programs and curriculum with sectors of the economy that are growing. With its strong educational infrastructure, New England has an opportunity to do this better than other regions and to continue to have its "educational" advantage be an "economic" advantage. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Economic Development; Job Training; Economic Climate; Vocational Education; Change Strategies; Educational Strategies; Public Sector; Labor Force Development; Commercialization; Community Colleges; Regional Schools; Education Work Relationship; Training Methods; Job Skills; Skill Development

Abstract:
Neoliberal governments consider global business competitiveness to be thwarted by costly bureaucratic regulation and programme duplication. In an effort to downsize the costs of operating a state, the governors now streamline job training functions via a coordinated workforce and economic development effort known as sector strategies, with vocational education and training (VET) institutions matched to named industry clusters. The policy initiative is meant to revitalise the economic climate of communities, helping those faced with extensive job loss and resulting social decay. This article describes the state sector strategies and explains the employer-driven model that charges the public community colleges with management of regional knowledge assets. (Contains 5 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Foreign Countries; Attendance; Credentials; High School Graduates; Enrollment; Colleges; Community Colleges; Two Year Colleges; Vocational Education; Vocational Schools; Participation; College Transfer Students; Articulation (Education)

Abstract:
Because of its diversity, the BC post-secondary system offers many routes to credential completion. However, to capture the dynamics of institutional attendance requires a long view of individuals' journeys through the various post-secondary institutions over time. In this report, the authors employ data from the "Paths on Life's Way" project to examine the attendance sequences of the BC high school graduating class of 1988 through the postsecondary system over a 22 year period. The "Paths" data set is ideal in capturing the nature of transitions and trajectories over a long period of time. The main purpose of these analyses are to build on earlier research and to further specify and refine the different templates of institutional trajectories that individuals undertake during the course of their lives. Also, they offer policy implications for BC and beyond from the results of these analyses. In this report, the authors use the analytical technique of sequence analysis. Sequence analysis is ideal for life course research as it uses variables or elements with certain states--in this case post-secondary participation status--that can be ordered into sequences; then, the sequential nature of all elements can be examined simultaneously. The sequence then serves as a representation of an individual's pathway through the postsecondary system. In the analyses presented in this newsletter, each state represents a one year time period. (Contains 7 figures and 4 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Credentials; Higher Education; Web Based Instruction; Organizational Change; Educational Trends; Teacher Role; College Role; Influence of Technology; Distance Education; Web 2.0 Technologies; Open Source Technology; Courseware; Electronic Learning; College Instruction; College Faculty; Educational Change; Certification; Administrative Organization; Educational Policy

Abstract:
Four converging trends are undermining land-based campuses as the preeminent source of knowledge acquisition and certification. The emergence of the learning sciences, the wikification of knowledge, the unbundling of faculty roles, and the migration of learning online are driving fundamental institutional change toward location-independent alternatives. Conventional assumptions about the necessity for, and superiority of, location-dependent teaching and learning at colleges and universities are losing their plausibility as learning is transformed by more effective alternatives offering more precise and scientifically grounded optimizations embedded in Web-based course architectures. The combination of precision education, open courseware, the greater specialization of teaching roles, and the expansion of Web-enabled learning are all implicated in a process leading toward the decentralization of institutional practices supporting land-based learning. These trends are not only disruptive but are serving to displace post-secondary institutions in their traditional role as the primary providers of knowledge and academic credentials. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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