Community colleges across the nation are enhancing partnerships by finding new ways to engage both existing and potential partners who can contribute to their students’ success. These efforts include building new and strengthening existing relationships across the P-20 education pipeline as well as with workforce partners, industry leaders, employers, and community-based organizations. The goal of building access to educational opportunities, improving student retention and completion, and helping students to successfully transition to employment is universally important.
TCI is featuring four TAACCCT consortia that use intentional partnerships to strengthen their career pathways, programs of study, and support student success. We encourage you to read the two-page briefs described below and consider how adopting and adapting any of these strategies will benefit your students.
Strategy Briefs on Intentional Partnerships
Building Intentional Partnerships to Sustain Student Success. The Oregon CASE Management Team collaborated with Oregon’s Employment Department to hire a TAA liaison to the community colleges and support improved processes and communication for TAA-eligible students participating in the TAACCCT grant-funded programs of study.
Business and Industry Leadership Teams (BILTs). The National Information, Security, and Geospatial Technology Consortium’s (NISGTC) BILTs are comprised of national and local teams of business and industry leaders who meet quarterly and provide leadership in the development of curriculum in their specialty area.
Partnership Trifecta: Education, Workforce, and Industry. Throughout program design and implementation, the Florida TRADE Consortium sought broad engagement from numerous stakeholder groups, including college presidents, academic deans, and corporate college directors; state and local workforce board representatives; and small and large manufacturers and industry associations.
Transforming Delivery of Education and Training across the State. The Massachusetts Community College Workforce Development Transformation Agenda consortium brought together the higher education, economic development, adult basic education (ABE), and workforce development systems with industry stakeholders to transform the delivery of education and training programs in six key sectors: Advanced Manufacturing; Information Technology; Biotechnology and Life Science; Healthcare; Clean Energy; Entrepreneurship and Financial Services.
Dr. Fox is passionate about supporting community college efforts to provide students with equitable and high quality career pathways.