The Outlook for Noncredit Workforce Education

By: Michelle Van Noy & James Jacobs — New Directions for Community Colleges, vol. 146, 2009. pp. 87-94.

The recent growth in community college noncredit workforce education raises fundamental questions about whether the colleges are keeping pace with student and workforce needs, using resources efficiently in their organizational approach, and providing access to all students. To explore these issues, this chapter focuses on the following questions: What is the current system of noncredit workforce education in terms of state funding policy, community college organizational practice, and program outcomes? What are current issues and future trends for noncredit workforce education? The chapter draws on information from a study conducted in 2007 and 2008 by CCRC in conjunction with the National Council on Workforce Education and the National Council on Continuing Education and Training.

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