| The changing nature of work, the global economy, the emergence of new jobs, and the aging of the workforce will require many workers to upgrade their work skills or to retrain for career changes. The demand for skilled labor will exceed the supply. There will be a growing need for retraining to address the mismatch between jobs of the future and skills of workers. Human capital will replace dollar capital as a strategic resource. However, traditional academic and vocational preparatory programs have dominated community college planning. This study examined the extent to which Washington State community colleges have shifted to an emphasis of upgrading and retraining adult workers and projected the future changes in planning, operation, and policy necessary to meet a growing demand for work skill enhancement training. The study, which utilized Human Resource Development theory, was administered at eight colleges to 1,151 students. Additional data were gathered through the Washington Community College Management Information System. The study described and analyzed working students' demographics and employment status, reasons for college enrollment, expectations as a result of community college training, barriers to enrollment, impact on work productivity, and future training needs.; The study determined that the typical upgrading/retraining student was between 20-44 years old, female, Caucasian, employed in a management, clerical, service, or production role in a firm with fewer than 250 employees, enrolled in job related courses, and enrolled in the evening. More than 50% had a high school diploma or some postsecondary training but no college degree. Most expected to change jobs or careers as a result of community college. Although most expected some productivity increases, few were enrolled in basic skills courses and few expected to enhance their reading, writing, math, or speaking abilities. Washington community colleges were effectively meeting the needs of these working students; however, their satisfaction levels were not as high as other groups of community college students, especially regarding availability of classes. Recommendations are provided to improve the educational environment and to increase the participation rate of working adults in college. |
