Responsiveness of selected community colleges to work-force preparedness education and training

Postsecondary institutions, businesses, and industries are being required to give more attention to the education of the work force. The community college can assist in addressing the education and training needs of the changing American economy. The purpose of this study was to examine the planning, program development, marketing, and evaluation functions of three selected North Carolina community colleges as these functions address work-force preparedness basic skills education and specialized skills training. A multisite, case-study qualitative research methodology utilizing ethnographic techniques was used to address the questions of the study. Three of the fifty-eight North Carolina community colleges were chosen for the study based on the size of the college, demographics of the communities, and individual populations served by the respective community colleges. Data collection was limited to the non-degree programs addressing basic skills education and specialized skills training for work-force preparedness. Computer-assisted and manual content analysis of interviews and documentation were the primary analytic approaches used in the study. Ethnograph, a qualitative research software program commercially available, was utilized in the computer-assisted content analysis