This book has two things going for it that are rarely combined—it is fundamentally purposeful and it is useful. As the authors point out, there is a trilogy of needs confronting any business leader with a change agenda and/or transitioning into a new top role: influence, coalition building, and performance consulting. Of the three, performance consulting has received the least amount of attention in both the public and private-sector businesses. Because the focus on performance consulting rests primarily on the worker and the workplace environment, the authors contend that we must have a picture of how that environment has changed over the years. In this book, visionary leaders of community colleges will present their views about the present challenges and future approaches needed for community colleges to be successful.
"This book covers the essential role of community colleges in developing a skilled workforce via varying educational opportunities that include, degree completion, workforce development, and skill enhancement"--
America’s community colleges are experiencing the most creative and substantive period of transformation in their 118-year history. There has never been so much research, so much support from foundations, and so much commitment from national leaders to reimagine community colleges for today and for the future. 13 Ideas that Are Transforming the Community College World, edited by Terry U. O’Banion, is the seminal work that captures the major ideas faced by community college leaders in this period of transformation. The book includes 23 authors representing 12 national organizations, perhaps the most significant and substantive list of individuals ever to participate in an edited book on the community college. Each author is a nationally-recognized authority on his or her chapter, and all have played major roles as leaders of national organizations.
Many people who work in Workforce Development in Community Colleges have not had the benefit of courses or a degree program in Workforce Development. For that reason, when they join a community college, they often need a primer on the purpose, goals and nature of workforce development. This book is intended for that purpose. It can help newly-hired community college staff members, administrators, and even board of trustees members on the important workforce development mission of a community college.
Tested, practical ideas to meet current and future skilling needs of both workers and employers The labor market in the United States faces seemingly contradictory challenges: Many employers have trouble finding qualified applicants for current and future jobs, while millions of Americans are out of work or are underemployed—their paths to living-wage jobs blocked by systemic barriers or lack of adequate skills. Growing Fairly offers workforce development reforms that meet the needs of both workers and employers. Based on the experiences of hundreds of leaders and workers, the authors set out ten principles for designing a more effective and equitable system that helps workers obtain the skills necessary for economic mobility. The principles outlined in the book argue for a more comprehensive view of the skilling needs of current and prospective workers. They spell out the attributes of effective programs and make the case for skill-based hiring, widely distributed performance data, and collaboration. The book emphasizes the importance of local action to overcome the structural barriers that challenge even the most determined would-be learners. Growing Fairly shows cross sector leaders how to work across organizational boundaries to change the trajectory of individuals struggling to make a living wage. This is not a book of untested theories. Instead, it is written by practitioners for practitioners. Much of it is told through the voices of those who run programs and people who have taken advantage of them. While the issues the book addresses are profound, its take on the subject is optimistic. Between them, the authors have spent decades searching out and supporting effective practices. Even more critically, they have learned how to knit competing agencies and organizations into cohesive systems with coordinated missions. Their practical ideas will benefit a wide range of readers, from practitioners in the field to students and scholars of the American labor system.
This book is written for workforce developers in community colleges and branch campus settings. College administrators, public officials, and employers may also find it helpful because it will give them a frame of reference for directing--or judging the quality of--community college workforce developers, the functions they oversee, the results they obtain, and the services they offer. This book can also serve as a text for the many students who are preparing themselves for careers in the challenging world of workforce development in community colleges. The book is intended to cover key issues in workforce development. The fifteen chapters are: (1) "The Role of Workforce Development Organizations" (Laurance J. Warford); (2) "Strategic Business Planning for Workforce Development" (Frederick D. Loomis); (4) "Integrating Workforce Development and Institutional Requirements" (James Jacobs); (5) "Competencies for Workforce Developers" (William J. Rothwell and Patrick E. Gerity); (6) "Building Community Partnerships for Workforce Development" (Mary Gershwin); (7) "Marketing Workforce Development Organizations" (Paul Pierpoint); (8) "The 5-S Consultative Approach to Sales" (Wesley E. Donahue and John E. Park); (9) "Finance and Budgeting for Workforce Development Organizations" (Leslie Roe); (10) "Establishing and Maintaining Effective Relations with Workforce Development Faculty, Staff, and Administrators" (Dennis Bona); (11) "Assessing Needs for Training and Nontraining Projects" (Elaine A. Gaertner and Cheryl A. Marshall); (12) "Integrating Complex Training and Nontraining Projects" (Ethan S. Sanders); (13) Evaluating Workforce Development Efforts (William J. Rothwell); (14) "Outsourcing Training" (Karen A. Flannery); and (15) "Lessons Learned and Emerging Issues" (Patrick E. Gerity). Appended are: (1) Developing a High-Performing Organization: Self-Assessment Instrument for Workforce Development Professionals in Higher Education; (2) Competency Model for Community College Workforce Developers; (3) Competency Assessment Instrument for Community College Workforce Developers; (4) Templates for Conducting 5-S Consultative Sales; (5) Coaching Checksheet for Community College Workforce Developers; (6) Templates for Community College Workforce Developers; and (7) State-by-State Electronic Resources for Workforce Development Strategic Plans and Customized Job Training Grants. The book also contains a foreword by George R. Boggs and James McKenney; preface; information about the contributors, and an index.
A roadmap for how we can rebuild America's working class by transforming workforce education and training. The American dream promised that if you worked hard, you could move up, with well-paying working-class jobs providing a gateway to an ever-growing middle class. Today, however, we have increasing inequality, not economic convergence. Technological advances are putting quality jobs out of reach for workers who lack the proper skills and training. In Workforce Education, William Bonvillian and Sanjay Sarma offer a roadmap for rebuilding America's working class. They argue that we need to train more workers more quickly, and they describe innovative methods of workforce education that are being developed across the country.
