A study to identify community college workforce training and development professionals' perceived competencies and their perceived professional development needs

This study determined the perceived importance of competency levels needed and possessed by community college workforce training and development professionals that lead to job success. It also determined the perceived professional development needs that build these competencies and analyzed the relationships between professional competency levels needed and possessed by community college workforce training and development professionals and their perceived professional development needs.;A review of literature on community college workforce training and development professionals, community college continuing education competencies, and community college workforce development programs yielded little on community college workforce training and development research and writings. A doctoral study conducted in 1993 identified a list of 50 competencies for community college community services/continuing education directors. Another doctoral study in 1997 also examined competencies of continuing education professionals throughout Penn State's continuing education system at their two-year campuses.;Data was gathered for the assessment through the use of a survey instrument. The survey used Likert scales. Surveys were sent to all community colleges belonging to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). This study was endorsed by AACC and endorsed and funded by the National Council for Continuing Education and Training (NCCET).;The major findings of this study were: a ranking, by means, of the order of importance of the competency scales; a ranking, by means, of the need for professional development competencies; a ranking of the competencies, by training priorities; and evidence of statistical relationships that exist between the importance-ranked competencies and the need for professional development competencies. The conclusions of this study were: (1) limited literature on research conducted on community college workforce training and development professionals; (2) a set of 14 competency scales have been developed and perceptions of importance and need for professional development for these competencies have been identified; (3) professional development activities can be designed to reinforce and improve competencies of community college workforce training and development professionals based on identified needs; (4) competencies can be used for making decisions related to hiring, promotion, and other human resource issues; and (5) training priorities have been identified.