Copyright© 2000 by School Services of California, Inc.

August 4, 2000

Survey Shows Community Colleges
Key in Technology Economy

In a new, technology driven economy the nation's community colleges are playing a critical role in delivering the skills needed to keep leading industries competitive and have become the de facto provider of choice for computer training, according to national survey findings.

Conducted jointly by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and ACT, the "Faces of the Future" survey examined a national sample of 100,000 students enrolled in both credit and non-credit classes among the nation's 1,132 community, junior, and technical colleges. Among key findings are:

• Students from 18 to 80 are turning to community colleges for computer-related education, giving the colleges a critical role in narrowing the "digital divide." Gaining computer-technology skills was reported as a major reason for attending by 18% of all credit respondents.
  
• Community colleges are a vital education link in providing the quantity and quality of workers needed to fuel the exploding technology industry, a fact that may fundamentally change the nature of non-credit coursework. One in eight credit students who reported they were training for a new career were studying in a computer or communications related field, including 16% of students aged 40-59.
  
• Students who have already attained advanced degrees choose community colleges to upgrade skills. More than one-quarter (28%) of non-credit students at respondent colleges had already earned bachelor's , master's, or doctoral degrees.
  
• Community colleges play a substantial role generally in preparing students for today's workplace. Among credit students, 60% said the major reason for taking classes was to meet occupational requirements.
  
• In a decade of steeply rising tuition, community colleges are the best and sometimes only hope to ensure career and earning competitiveness for the least skilled and most economically disadvantaged. Of non-credit students, 29% who were unemployed and seeking work reported public assistance as a source of funds; 18% reported public assistance as their major source of funds.
  
• Far from the "second choice" status community colleges have long endured, students who actually "try the product" report positive reactions. More than 80% of students from respondent colleges were satisfied or highly satisfied with their community college experience.

The "Faces of the Future" study was conducted in credit and non-credit classrooms in fall 1999. More than 100,000 students at 245 community colleges in 41 states responded. AACC sees the new data as validation of the greatly expanded and significantly underfunded value of the community college mission. Although the colleges enroll almost half of all U.S. undergraduates, they receive less than 30% of state and local higher education dollars. (California community colleges are living proof of this underfunding gap-receiving less funding per students than K-2, the University of California and California State University). In addition, community colleges enroll higher percentages of women, minority students, older adults, and the disabled-groups the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predict will provide most new workers in the future.

For more information on this report and survey you may log-on the AACC website at www.aacc.nche.edu and ACT at www.act.org.

--Arnold Bray