Community College Training and the Workforce Investment System

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Release Date

Community College Training and the Workforce Investment System

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Issue
2005-15

Publication Info

Description

This report examines areas of research that might be of interest to the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) from the perspective of increasing the participation and effectiveness of community colleges in our national employment and training system.  The report begins by sketching the main elements of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and outlines the organization of the workforce investment system.  Following are nine research questions involving the role of community colleges in the workforce investment system.  These questions are organized under three headings:

1)  Community colleges and local labor market efficiency;

2)  The effect of WIA on incentives faced by community colleges; and

3)  WIA and the demand for community college training.

 

To provide context for the discussion, the paper presents summary data comparing community colleges and the workforce investment system in terms of size, services delivered, and student and participant characteristics.  With this background, the report then considers evidence relating to the effect of community colleges on the efficiency of local labor markets.  WIA’s effect on community college incentives is examined, and the report addresses the effect of WIA on the demand for community college programs.  The final section of the report outlines some important issues that have not been adequately addressed in the existing literature and suggests several policy questions that appear to warrant ETA consideration for future research support.