| Community colleges have played an important role in education, training and workforce development since their founding in the early twentieth century. Over the past 10 years, the growing demand for highly skilled workers coinciding with increased outsourcing, globalization and welfare reform efforts has generated a renewed interest in community college participation in workforce development.;In 1996, federal welfare reform efforts targeting disadvantaged populations brought local employers together with community-based organizations, educational institutions (K-12 and postsecondary education), government agencies and labor unions to comprise state and local workforce boards that oversee state workforce development activities. Local workforce boards design workforce development systems, create job training policy and oversee implementation efforts, and distribute federal welfare funding while also ensuring that program accountability and performance standards are met. By virtue of their authority, workforce boards have significant influence and impact on statewide economic and workforce development efforts in each state.;Although welfare reform implementation efforts vary widely, the literature suggests that the majority of states design workforce systems and create policies that facilitate community colleges having a central role in workforce development. In states with more flexible policies, postsecondary education is permitted in lieu of work and combined strategies that facilitate self-sufficiency are utilized. Similarly, community colleges have created successful programs and curricula geared toward moving the disadvantaged to sustained self-sufficiency through job training programs that articulate into vocational certifications and degree programs that encourage life-long learning. These programs are more holistic in helping to facilitate self-sufficiency because of their job placement, wage progression and career pathways components. In contrast, there is evidence to suggest that community college participation in the new framework is not being fully realized in states where workforce development efforts focus on immediate labor force attachment (work-first).;Community colleges are integral to workforce development systems because they have the support services infrastructure to create specialized programs that help mitigate a variety of personal issues and address barriers to employment for disadvantaged populations. As prescribed partners in state workforce development efforts under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), community colleges have the potential for an even greater role through their participation on workforce boards. This case study explored the effects of community college involvement in workforce boards and the ways in which they collaborate and partner with each other, local employers, government agencies, community-based organizations, K-12 educational entities, and labor unions in workforce development initiatives. |
