Jason Lee Davis

Community Colleges: The Preferred Provider of Career and Technology Education and Training

Community colleges are recognized by business and industry as the prime provider of career and technology education. This recognition has been earned by the strong links formed between these entities and the responsiveness of community/junior colleges to workforce needs. An important consideration in maintaining this preferred provider status is the recent emphasis on the development and adoption of industry validated skill standards and the strengthening of partnerships between educational institutions and industry. Collaborative efforts between education and industry stakeholders–facilitated by established skill standards organizations–strive to assure quality workforce development. Such efforts guide and promote the development, validation, and voluntary adoption of critical standards as a model for workforce training and development programs in community/junior colleges.