The Mixed Methods Blog

Former CCRC associate director and advisory board member Jim Jacobs shares insights from a study that sheds light on student concerns with short-term workforce training programs and their implications for public policy.

Jim Jacobs, CCRC’s former associate director and member of the CCRC Advisory Board, has contributed to several CCRC projects on workforce education, bringing expertise he developed working on industrial development and adult education programs at Macomb Community College. As Jacobs enters retirement, CCRC reflects on his career and contributions to the field.

While community college practice has changed considerably in recent decades, workforce and economic development programs remain stagnant. Jim Jacobs reflects on how community colleges might update the way they work with employers to ensure equity remains a central goal of workforce programs.

James Jacobs discusses how strengthening the relationship between guided pathways reforms and career-technical education can improve both, as colleges refocus their programs on skills that are valued in the current job market.