Business and Industry involved in the development of Community College programs - Essay Example

Community College Programs School Affiliation Community colleges were initially believed to be set up for the handicapped and the underprivileged in society to provide them with general education and tradition liberal arts. However, with time, people began appreciating them. This resulted to huge number of student enrollment leading to the growth of community colleges. This was as a result of new businesses and industries which were in demand of labor in the early 1900s. The short courses offered in community colleges have provided the urgent workforce needed for industries and businesses of all sorts.

In order to cater for the diverse needs of the businesses and industries, diverse programs have been developed by the community colleges as a direct influence of the former. People have also come to change their perspectives on community colleges, which consequently has resulted in the introduction of adult classes, part-time graduates enrollment programs to sharpen their skills. Businesses and industries have sponsored community colleges in different ways, provided internship opportunities for their students and influenced their curriculum, just to mention a few.

Business and Industry Involved in the Development of Community College ProgramsRise of Community College programsInitially, community colleges were believed to be set up for the handicapped and underprivileged to provide them with general education and tradition liberal arts. However, with time, people began appreciating them. This was as a result of the rise of new businesses and industries which were in demand of labor. The short courses offered in community colleges as compared to other educational instructions provided the urgent workforce needed.

The different industries and businesses establishments needed different and diverse skills. As a result, diverse courses came into being and students were taught programs like home economics, business studies teaching, secretarial studies, general courses and music. These trainings acted as links between semi-skilled laborers and professionals. All this made it possible for the students to get jobs after immediate completion of their courses.Gradually, people changed their perspective on community colleges, adult classes were introduced, part-time classes came into being and even graduates enrolled to sharpen their skills.

This resulted in the enrollment of a huge number of students leading to the growth of community colleges.Roles Played by Business and Industry in the Establishment of Community College ProgramsBusiness and industries play a major role in the development of Community College Programs. This state of affairs started back in the 1990s when there was immense business potential in America as new businesses and industries were coming up. The medical field and engineering industries began expanding and they needed quite a huge labor force of semi-skilled workers and support staff.

As a result, community colleges began offering engineering and health-related courses. The number of students enrolled in these institutions continued to increase because of the rise in number of new businesses and industries which demanded skilled labor. In order to pace up with the growing information and technology developments, companies needed workers who were computer literate. As a result, computer-related courses were introduced in colleges which attracted an immense enrollment of students (Cohen and Brawer, 2004, 228).

The more businesses and industries which demanded semi-skilled labor came up, the more students enrolled and as a result, the colleges generated more income. The income was used to upgrade the colleges and as a result, trainings offered by other educational institutions like technical institutes, vocational centers, secondary and adult centers were transferred to community colleges. For instance, in Florida, 28 community colleges had departments for vocational training (Cohen and Brawer, 2004, p229).

Nowadays, manufacturing, health care and information technology based companies annually spend a lot of money in upgrading the workforce skills of their employees; this is usually done by community colleges, who, unlike other institutions, concentrate on sharpening the specific skills required by companies (Donokov, 2007, p2).

Industries are also teaming up to assist community colleges. This can be seen at York Technical College where more than 15 companies have teamed up and assisted the College in buying specialized facilities. In return, the companies’ employees receive training from the college. The college is also consulted by industries, and with the help of the students, develops new products for the companies. This way, companies are able to recognize potential students and employ them after completion of their course (Donokov, 2007, p7)Besides teaming up, industries are also assisting community colleges in organizing motivational tours for the students to see the work opportunities available.

This in turn makes students to work hard, get good jobs and refer other people to the community colleges (Tennyson, 1974, 94).The colleges also have educational contracts with industries and public agencies. For instance Nevada Community College has a contract to train employees of private industries in Total Quality Management. The college assists in the Manufacturing Assistance Program (MAP) of the mining industries while the community college in Southern Nevada makes customized programs for games and hospitality industries in Las Vegas.

This way, the college attracts a huge number of students annually. Under such conditions, the colleges are also able to buy specialized facilities and sharpen their skills as they perform practical works on contracts (Terrence, 1999, 279). Most businesses and industries believe that whether one is a graduate or a community college trainee, it is the mastery and manifestation of skills and ability to handle multiple responsibilities which is of importance and would therefore prefer skills over the level of education (Cohen and Brawer, 2004, p236).

ReferencesTennyson (1974) Vocational Development and Guidance. Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data, Willard Wesley.Donokov V. (2007). The 21st Century Community College. Novica Publishers Inc. Newyork.Cohen. M. and Brawer F. (2004). The American Community College. John Wiley & Sons Inc. San Francisco.Terrace A. (1999) Fifty State Systems of Community Colleges: Mission, Governance, Funding and Accountability. Overmountain Press.