Community College Career Education: Scaling a New Approach. Lumina Issue Paper

A new landscape is emerging at community colleges across the country -- a new approach that puts preparing students for the workforce at the center of the college's mission and culture. Occupational education has always been part of the mission at community colleges. What's changing today: New technology is putting a new premium on occupational skills, and educators focused on preparing students for the workplace have a new set of tools at their disposal. Encouraged by this new trend and eager to advance it, Lumina Foundation convened a group of innovative community college leaders to talk about shared challenges and strategize for the future. The half-day session took place in Indianapolis in February 2019. The educators around the table had questions, but they also had answers. This paper is a report on their conversation. The educators feel they are on the edge of a new, exciting universe -- a new way of serving students and delivering skills to fuel economic growth. They want to bring others -- other educators and more employers -- with them into this new world, and they want help from policymakers. This brief consists of two parts: first, a description of the new landscape emerging on community college campuses, and second, an inventory of the recommendations offered by the group in Indianapolis.