This journal article describes the uneven supply of contract training by community colleges. Beginning in the South in the 1950s and then spreading nationwide, a new form of vocational training—”contract training” or “customized training”—has come to the forefront. By the early 1990s, over 90 percent of community colleges were offering contract training to firms, nonprofit organizations, and government, and contract-training students constituted around 18 percent of total headcount enrollments at these colleges.
Nevertheless, the supply of contract training by community colleges is uneven. While some community colleges are actively involved, many community colleges make only token efforts.
This great variation is explained by differences among community colleges; the magnitude of local employer demand; the degree of support and leadership by community college administrators; the availability of able and interested staff; and funds sufficient to develop curricula, equip facilities, and hire outside experts.
This article appeared in The Annals of the American Academy of Social and Political Science, vol. 586, no. 62.
