 AACC Center for Workforce and Economic Development AACC established the Center for Workforce and Economic Development in partnership with the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), to help community colleges better collaborate with workforce boards, economic development entities, labor market intermediaries, and other community organizations to improve the prosperity of business, workers, and communities. The Center seeks to transform the best practices now evident on a number of community college campuses into common practices routinely used throughout the community college network. As part of its broader implementation strategy, AACC is piloting Center services and products in four states — Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. These states face a range of regional economic challenges with differing levels of leadership commitment to regional economic development as well as a diverse approach to integration and implementation. The colleges reflect a mix of urban, rural, and suburban schools with varying degrees of capacity to develop strong, sustainable partnerships in response to community and regional labor market needs. The Center is being supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, and the Grand Victoria Foundation. Products and Services The Center provides information and technical assistance to community colleges on collaborative practices, labor market analysis, and performance analysis in order to promote more integrated and interactive practices. Additional activities include: a review of state policies, legislation, and rules impacting collaborations, as well as case studies on policies and best practices highlighting the work of the Center. Tailored Technical Assistance Eleven community colleges in the targeted states have been awarded technical assistance. The participating colleges have identified their technical assistance needs through an application process. Each will be assisted by site managers and topic specific consultants. View the participating colleges. Expected Outcomes At the local and regional level, the Center will achieve long and short term results. The long term vision for the Center is that community colleges will have an effective system for creating and sustaining collaborations. The Center will develop practical information and recommendations that inform and influence policy by senior officers in all arenas: community colleges, economic development entities, workforce boards, business and labor leaders, as well as the news media. More immediate results include a compilation of promising practices and models that provide a guide for collaboration among community colleges, workforce boards, and others; progress toward an improved competitive position for colleges to take advantage of public and private funding opportunities; and an increased number of partnerships moving toward more effective and sustained responses to changing workforce needs.
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