National Council for Workforce Education » Publications

Breaking Through: Helping Low-Skilled Adults Enter and Succeed in College and Careers

darrahle — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:26:20 +0000

Around the country, innovative community colleges are playing a larger role in helping low-skilled adults gain the valuable skills and credentials that are the gateway to family-supporting careers. Breaking Through looks at whether and how these institutions can significantly improve the odds that low-income, low-skilled adults earn the college-level occupational and technical credentials that remain elusive for many Americans. The report is based on a literature review, site visits to innovative colleges and programs, interviews with practitioners and researchers, special sessions at national conferences, and a convening of practitioners who discussed their programs and reviewed preliminary research findings.

Four Strategies that impact results include:

Integrated Institutional Structures and Services
Accelerated Learning
Labor Market Payoffs
Comprehensive Support Services

♦ PDF Copy of Report

Going Green: Building a Green Workforce

admin — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:02:18 +0000

GOING GREEN: The Vital Role of COMMUNITY COLLEGES in Building a Sustainable Future and a GREEN WORKFORCE

This report examines the growing role of community colleges in a low-carbon, clean energy economy, and:

provides examples of innovative strategies and practices used by community colleges to address climate change, environmental stewardship, and green workforce development;
offers information on the fastest growing sectors and jobs in the clean energy/green economy that provide strategic opportunities for community colleges and their students;
stimulates the dialogue on the role of community colleges in creating a sustainable future;
presents useful Web sites and resources for further information.

♦ PDF Copy of Report

♦ WDI Conference Power Point Presentation

Envisioning the Future: Career Pathways

admin — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 19:03:24 +0000

Envisioning the Future: Career Pathways as a Systemic Framework
Fully Implemented in the Community College

A sequel to “Career Pathways as a Systemic Framework: Rethinking Education for Student Success in College and Career.”

The National Council for Workforce Education and the League for Innovation presented the report. More than 50 people attended the session which was organized into three breakout groups and framed by the six core elements identified in the report. The session facilitators included: Brenda Brecke, Dean of Grants and Resource Development, Southwestern Oregon Community College, Coos Bay, Oregon; Mimi Maduro, Pathways Initiative Statewide Director, Oregon Community Colleges and Workforce Development; and Ann Malosh, Dean of Health Occupations and Workforce Development, Linn‐Benton Community College, Albany, Oregon. The practitioners who attended the session and contributed their insights and experience to this report are listed in the appendix along with the participants who served as reviewers for the report.Comprehensive Career Pathways Framework are: Institutional and Instructional Transformation, Student Supports and Tools, Partnership Driven, Employer Involvement, Continuous Improvement, and Sustainability.

“Career Pathways as a Systemic Framework: A Call to Action” at the NCWE conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico in October 2006. Several responses from NCWE members and further discussion about the report focused on the question: What would a community college that fully implemented Career Pathways look like? To get a practitioner’s perspective on this question, a session was held at the NCWE conference in October 2007. This report reflects the results of the facilitated session “Envisioning the Future: Career Pathways Fully Implemented in the Community College.” The report is also designed as a sequel to the “Career Pathways as a Systemic Framework: A Call to Action.”

♦ PDF Copy of Report

Building Tomorrow’s Workforce: Hispanic Immigrant Workers in America

admin — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 02:13:00 +0000

During the next decade, one out of every four new workers in the United States will be an immigrant from Latin America. While some of these newcomers speak English well and enter the United States with strong academic credentials and skills, most do not. Over 50% of Hispanic immigrants have less than a high school education, and like other low-skilled working adults, they face a host of barriers if they want to earn the credentials they need to compete in today’s labor market. In spite of overwhelming odds, some of these immigrants are finding their way to college. They are preparing for and entering post-secondary programs and earning credentials that provide them with the skills required to get and keep good jobs. From food processing to aviation, employers are turning to these newly skilled people to meet their needs for skilled workers. These immigrants are making significant progress, and many are doing so with the assistance of new and innovative partnerships among employers, community colleges, and community organizations. These partnerships are the subject of this study. Funded by the Lumina Foundation, this study was led by Corporation for a Skilled Workforce and supported by its partners: the Manufacturing Institute, The National Council for Workforce Education, and Excelencia in Education. This report presents promising Employer/community college partnerships that expand access to higher education and benefit low-skilled, immigrant Hispanic adults.

♦ PDF Copy of Report