Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grant Program - Context, Infrastructure, and Alignment Matter: Statewide Systems Change in Round 4 of TAACCCT Topic Brief

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Release Date: September 01, 2020

Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grant Program - Context, Infrastructure, and Alignment Matter: Statewide Systems Change in Round 4 of TAACCCT Topic Brief

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Employment and Training ,  Community College

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About the Brief

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The brief explores factors affecting the implementation of statewide systems change in the Round 4 Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grants, focusing on the experiences of statewide consortia. It first describes Round 4’s emphasis on systems change and then discusses systems change to improve community colleges’ ability to train workers in skills needed for in-demand jobs. The brief then presents findings on systems change efforts implemented by statewide consortia composed of multiple community colleges in one state. It concludes by summarizing the common elements affecting systems change efforts and suggesting areas to explore in future research.

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Key Takeaways

  • Consortia implemented statewide systems change in many of the capacity-building strategies pursued under the TAACCCT grants, including creation of career pathways, technology-enabled learning, transfer credits, credits for prior learning, partnerships with the public workforce system, and work-based learning.
  • Across these strategies, factors that facilitated the implementation of statewide systems change included the state policy and governance context, existing infrastructure established under prior grants or initiatives, and alignment with and responsiveness to the needs of allied and key stakeholders.
  • Promising areas for future research include the extent to which these changes will be sustained after the grants and on how these changes will inform implementation of relevant federal policies and efforts under relevant federal grant programs.

Citation

Betesh, H., Smith, A., Gardiner, K. (2020). Abt Associates. Context, Infrastructure, and Alignment Matter: Statewide Systems Change in Round 4 of TAACCCT. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.

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The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.