Study Finds Fault In Many Community Colleges

The study, conducted by the nonprofit Workforce Strategy Center, found that many community college systems fail to adequately meet the needs of their diverse student populations.

Julian Alssid, co-director of WSC, said community colleges have to balance many different goals, making it difficult to fulfill all students' needs.

"They have to prepare students for four-year colleges, (technical) jobs, remedial programs and businesses," he said. "We found the disadvantaged get hurt."

But Alssid said the N.C. Community College System could serve as a model for preparing students for a wide variety of paths.

"North Carolina stands out as one of the very few states that are making a difference," Alssid said.

Closely evaluating the progress of students and the effectiveness of particular colleges enables the state to run a top-notch system, said Fred Williams, executive vice president of the N.C. Community College system.

Each community college in North Carolina is evaluated in terms of basic skills, the number of students who transfer to four-year colleges and licensure exam results, Williams said.

"If we fail to meet a benchmark we have to provide a plan of how we will improve that area," he said.

State community colleges ensure that students not only get a quality education but that they are being taught usable skills, Williams said.

Officials use data to pinpoint industries in each college's community that will provide job opportunities for graduates, he said. They then create specific programs to train people in those areas.

"Our programs adjust as quickly as we learn that a program is needed," Williams said. "A school has (the) flexibility to get a program within a few weeks. Schools are able to work with one another to have a program up and running."

But the WSC report indicates that most community college systems are not making enough effort to ensure that graduates are employable.

The study found that basic skills and vocational programs often are treated as separate entities and that while students may attain basic skills, there is no effort to direct them along career pathways.

The report also states that community colleges do not effectively work with social service programs and businesses to find available jobs, prepare students for them and help students gain employment.

Community colleges should determine available jobs in the community and provide training for those jobs, the report states.

According to the report, training should be designed to especially help immigrants and the underprivileged, disabled and unemployed establish stable careers.

North Carolina already has programs in place that connect community colleges and businesses to provide workforce training.

The Economic Workforce Development Division of the community college system provides funding and scholarships for students and creates programs that link them to the workforce.

The division determines the industries that need employees, designs training programs through community colleges and creates pre-employment programs that enable students to determine if they would want to work in a particular industry.

Larry Keen, vice president of the division, said, "The beauty is we have that capacity of serve the needs of all North Carolinians."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.