Immigrants and others who didn't grow up speaking English are often at a disadvantage when entering the workforce. One of the best ways for non-native English speakers to level the playing field is to enroll in targeted courses and job-training programs offered through their local community colleges. The best of these programs combines important…

At this moment, roughly 12 million Americans are unable to find work, with more than 40 percent of that number unemployed for six months or more. At the same time, current estimates put the number of job vacancies in this country at 3 million per month. The most popular explanation for this apparent paradox, the one put forth by former President…

Just as good community colleges pivot to mirror the needs of their local communities, the multistate Auto Communities Consortium (ACC) continues to evolve to counteract the challenges encountered by employers in its service region. Established in 2010 to address pervasive economic losses faced by communities whose major employers were auto…

It's been more than three years since the U.S. automobile industry nearly collapsed. A controversial federal bailout, an increase in consumer demand, and a growing interest in environmentally friendly fuel-efficient vehicles and related technologies have combined to help create a remarkable recovery. Total U.S. sales of light vehicles in 2012 are…

In a recent essay in "Time" magazine, Dr. Walter Bumphus, president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), underscored the need for community colleges to partner with industry to help close the skills gap and position students to meet 21st-century employment needs. Much attention is on small businesses, which have…

Nearly a decade ago officials at New Jersey's 19 community colleges sought a way for the state's two-year career and technical college system to work together to more efficiently serve the workforce development needs of the state. The goal was to say to businesses, "If you have a training need, we can help by delivering the "combined" training…

November 2012 was an anxious time for California community colleges. Proposition 30 promised to stop the bleeding of funds from the state's 112 two-year career and technical institutions--if voters would pass it. That was a big if, especially in California, where voters are notoriously tax averse. When the measure passed with 54 percent of the…

The use of personal student success stories as an advocacy tool provides a sense of reality for those of influence. In the case of community colleges, sharing stories of students overcoming adverse circumstances provides context to those who have never experienced community colleges or students' lives, including the depth and breadth of life…

According to the author, for years she has relied heavily on numbers to tell their story. As she has worked with legislators, individually and collectively, through their college delegation, she has found that numbers--good, bad, and ugly--can be a powerful way to increase support for the college. In this article, she discusses the benefits of…

For nearly as long as students, teachers, and community members have been adopting social media--more than a decade--community college leaders have sought ways to harness the power of online applications to improve fundraising and advocacy efforts. Dedicated Facebook pages and Twitter feeds were among the most logical starting points--if a college…

With the presidential election just one month away, and contention between Democrats and Republicans at near stratospheric levels, now is the opportune time to engage community college students in the democratic process. While encouraging students to vote is important, effective civic engagement goes well beyond the ballot box; it requires a…

In his State of the Union Address in January, President Obama said he visited "many business leaders who want to hire in the United States but can't find workers with the right skills." Not hard to imagine, considering the U.S. Department of Commerce reports that only one in every 18 workers in America currently works in a science, technology,…

With every student who graduates college to pursue a career in the green workforce, the case for green-collar job training at the nation's community colleges is made anew. As federal stimulus dollars wind down, community colleges are determined to maintain and expand green-focused education and job training successes. The American Association of…

The country's technological edge is receding, and the problem cannot be solved simply by flooding the workforce with more engineers and scientists. This comes as little surprise to administrators at the nation's community colleges. In 2007, the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Science, and the Institute of Medicine responded to…

The purpose of academic advising is to help students select a program of study to meet life and vocational goals. As such, academic advising is a central activity in the process of education. Academic advising occurs at least once each term for every student in the college; few student support functions occur as often or affect so many students.…