In a September 7, 2009 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Jennifer Gonzalez reports on community colleges taking on a more central role in federal job-training programs in response to the Workforce Investment Act.

James Jacobs, chair of the Community College Research Center Advisory Board and president of Macomb Community College, is quoted in the article.

For James Jacobs...community colleges are uniquely positioned to train the nation's work force because of their commitment to their communities, expertise in teaching adults, and the high quality of their technical instructors.

"For the legislation to work," he says, "there has to be recognition from states to view the community-college system as the national infrastructure for work-force development."

Employers don't want just to fill a job vacancy with a skilled worker, Mr. Jacobs argues, but to hire an employee who has the potential to grow within the company. Community colleges can fill that need because they can both teach people broad capabilities, such as critical thinking, and train students in industry-specific skills.

That is not the case, he says, at other job-training providers, such as some for-profit institutions that job seekers can choose through the one-stop centers.

--Read the entire article at: http://www.chroniclecareers.com/article/Community-Colleges-Could-Win/48283/ (Site registration may be required.)