The New Economic Development Role of the Community College

Abstract

In the past two decades, community colleges have broadened their economic development role to include contract training, small business assistance, and local economic planning. This brief summarizes this new economic role in relationship to five different industries: auto manufacturing, apparel making, construction, banking, and auto repair. The report examines the extent and form, the origins, the variation in demand and supply, and the impact of this role by analyzing the interactions between these industries and more than 20 community colleges in five states.