The U.S. Department of Labor's Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant program was a major investment to increase the ability of community colleges to address the challenges of today's workforce. Grants were designed to help workers eligible for training under the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Workers program, as well as a broad range of other adults.
TAACCCT was one of the most evaluated DOL grant programs, and the final national evaluations are now newly available.
Under TAACCCT, every state received funding for each of four years through 256 grants totaling $1.9 billion. TAACCCT grants, which continued through September 2018, impacted 60 percent of the nation's publicly-funded community colleges and built industry-aligned programs in manufacturing, health care, information technology, energy, transportation, and other industries.
Through TAACCCT, community colleges developed or redesigned nearly 2,600 programs of study to help adults learn skills that lead to family-sustaining jobs. Each college or consortium of colleges developed programs of study aligned with local and regional business needs, which were identified through partnerships formed or strengthened with grant funds. To help adult students obtain industry-recognized credentials more quickly, colleges used TAACCCT funding to innovate with strategies such as career pathways, credit for prior learning, competency-based models, online training, and strong student support systems. The curriculum and other learning materials developed by TAACCCT grantees are still widely available to all types of training providers on SkillsCommons.org.
Through this expansive effort, the U.S. Department of Labor helped strengthen our nation's institutions of higher education as engines of economic opportunity where adults can succeed in acquiring the skills, degrees, and credentials needed for high-wage, high-skill employment, while also meeting the needs of employers in hiring skilled workers. The Department implemented the TAACCCT program in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education.
Fact Sheets
These fact sheets help illustrate the positive impacts that TAACCCT had on the community college and workforce systems across the country.
- TAACCCT Program Information
Offers an overview and key program information about TAACCCT, such as programs launched, participants enrolled, and credentials earned. - The Broad Reach of TAACCCT Funding
This map illustrates the broad reach of TAACCCT funding across the nation's community colleges. Find total funding for each state, and learn about the types of grants each state received. - A Catalyst for Systems Change
Find an overview of state consortium grants, which represented over half of TAACCCT funding, and the impact they had at the state level. - Deepening Employer Engagement
This fact sheet provides examples of how TAACCCT grants deepened employer engagement within industry sectors across the nation. - Community College Presidents' Voices on Impact
Hear directly from six community college presidents about how TAACCCT impacted their institutions. - Open Educational Resources
A one-page overview of SkillsCommons.org, the online repository that makes the materials produced with TAACCCT funds available to all training providers.