Myths and Action: What Economic Developers Must Know About Workforce Development and Community Colleges (cont.)

Do you partner with your local community college to strengthen workforce intelligence?

While colleges aspire to stay on top of labor-market trends, few community colleges have the resources to support this function. Economic developers and agencies supported by the Workforce Investment Act can be key resources for colleges by providing knowledge and expertise on key economic development trends in the community and the emerging needs of employers. Starting with the community college president, economic developers can learn about the college capacity and partner to ensure the college has access to critical data for decision-making.

When the need for a new program emerges, do you know how to help the college respond quickly and effectively?

The recent nursing shortage is an example of a community need that has been clearly documented but inadequately addressed by colleges in many regions across the country. Economic developers should be knowledgeable of three key areas where barriers may inhibit college responsiveness.

• Financial barriers. The Colorado Community College System examined the expenses of nursing programs in 2003 and learned that it cost more than $2,200 to educate a nursing student than it did to educate a student in general studies program. In an era of reduced budgets, expanding nursing programs was not possible without additional funds to cover the marginal costs of nursing instruction.

  Economic developers in many regions have partnered with their local community colleges to address this particular funding gap by bringing together hospitals, elected officials, college leaders and philanthropy to find solutions to the financial barriers colleges face in expanding nursing programs. In other parts of the country, economic developers have focused on technology program development at the college, brokering solutions that increased college capacity through new private sector investments.

• Policy barriers. In some states, the community college performance measures for retention and completion are based on performance of first-time, full-time students. While college performance with these students is important, it is an inadequate and incomplete measure. As is true with all types of systems, community colleges focus on what gets measured.

  Economic developers should know what currently is being measured and be prepared to partner with community colleges to advocate for policies that reward community colleges for performance in the workforce development arena. The National Association of Manufacturers’ Center for Workforce Success is examining this area with support from the Ford Foundation.

• Internal barriers. Sometimes college responsiveness is slowed by layers of curriculum committees, program approvals and general bureaucracy.While these systems may promote a goal of educational quality, they may no longer serve their purposes. Ultimately, it is the role of the board and college leadership to ensure system responsiveness. Economic developers can play effective roles as external agents for change.

« Page 3 | Page 5 »